We Found Us
by GirlFromTheWest
Summary: Gavin-and-AJ-centric futurefic with appearances by the dads, Kurt and Blaine! Find out how the boys met at Dalton. Some events in this series are based on the later chapters of Daddies. While it might be helpful to read Daddies first, it is not required!
1. New Kid

**Hello Dear Ones! Well, that didn't take long now, did it? I've been thinking about our little family+1 since finishing the Daddies series and stumbled upon the idea for the story that begins below. The time covered in this piece will be shorter and will draw on some of the events of the ending chapters in Daddies. This will be a Gavin-and-AJ-centric tale, giving Gavin a back story as well as telling the story of how the boys met. Expect a little more angst (after all, we're dealing with teens here!) but just as much cavity-inducing sweetness at in Daddies. I hope you enjoy!**

**~oOo~**

Gavin O'Keefe heard a door slam, followed by shouting out in the hall. He placed the shirts he'd removed from his suitcase in a drawer and peeked out into the hallway of the Junior dorm at Dalton Academy. Two thirds of the way down, he saw a tall boy with out-of-control curly hair pounding furiously on the door for room 208.

"Michael! Jacob! Open the door. It was funny the first two hundred times, but now this is getting old. Open the door or I'm so going to…" Laughter came from within 208 and the boys stuck in the hall, who tried to stop from grinning, started pounding again.

"Everything okay out here?" Gavin asked, the boy in the hall turning to look at him.

"Everything's fine except for my two idiot roommates, who think it is hilarious to lock the door every time I leave the room. You'd think that after rooming with them for two years I'd get wise and find a better living situation, but the little ankle nippers have grown on me," AJ said, grinning.

"Mind if I help?" Gavin asked.

"Be my guest," AJ replied, waving his hand towards the door.

Gavin stood before the door and rapped on it with his knuckles. "Nice try, AJ!" a voice from within bellowed. "We're still not letting you in until you cooperate and fork over your dad's brownies. We know Blaine sent some to school with you. He ALWAYS does!"

"Uh, I'm not AJ. I'm Gavin, from down the hall. I'm new here and wondered if you have any poster tack I can use. I ran out and I have one more poster to hang." Gavin turned to AJ and whispered, "Are you ready?" AJ nodded, knowing exactly what to do.

"How do we know you aren't AJ, disguising his voice?"

"I'm not sure who AJ is," Gavin replied, wordlessly pointing to AJ and raising his eyebrows. AJ nodded with a grin. "But if you are too busy, I'll, uh, move on and ask someone else." Gavin smiled at AJ, doing a silent countdown on five fingers. AJ moved so that he was flat against the wall to the right of the door and when Gavin mouthed "one!" the door flew open. "Hi!" Gavin said, moving out of the way. AJ jumped from his hiding place, pushed Michael and Jacob out of the way, and barged into the room.

"I hate both of you!" AJ said to his roommates, now safely in the room. Before closing the door, he turned, regained his composure, smiled and said, "Thanks, Gavin. See you around?" before slamming the door and emitting a war cry. Gavin heard the shuffling of feet, a loud "oof!" and a crash to the floor that he imagined involved a football-like tackle. Moments later the laughter began, and Gavin knew all was right in room 208.

"Just like home," he muttered to himself, as he made his way back to his room.

**~oOo~**

Gavin O'Keefe was a typical California boy. He grew up on the beach, learning to swim and surf. The shock of blond hair that always hung in his eyes and the permanent tan gave him that quintessential beach bum look. His family, consisting of a mom, a dad, and six brothers and sisters, lived a comfortable life, not far from Los Angeles, but a world away. Gavin's father, Patrick, moved to the United States from Ireland when he was a young man. Through hard work and determination, he started a plumbing business that became one of the largest commercial plumbing businesses in the state. His mother, Molly, went to college to be an archeologist. After meeting Patrick, marrying him, and beginning a family, Molly's days at dig sites were done, but she did take up a teaching position in the geology department at a small California college, not far from their home. So, Gavin Tiernny O'Keefe grew up surrounded by love, siblings, fights, holidays, cousins, vacations, and friends.

Not-so-typical was the fact that Gavin was gay. Once, he tried to pinpoint the exact moment when he realized that he was different from most boys and he was unable to do so. Gavin had that rare experience growing up, where everyone in his family and circle of friends just knew. He wasn't particularly effeminate (or at least he didn't think so). At age eleven he was aware enough to put words to his feelings, discussing them with his mom and dad. Neither seemed surprised nor disappointed; both admitted that they'd always known, end of story. This was enough for Gavin. He traveled through early adolescence, relatively unscathed. There were some turbulent times in middle school, especially when other kids began to catch on. Some of Gavin's lifelong friends abandoned him, but his truest buddies stuck by him, sometimes even deflecting the teasing they saw coming his way. Regardless, Gavin maintained his sense of self, and never tried to hide the fact that he was gay.

At the beginning of his sophomore year, his Grandpa Evans, his mom's dad, sent him an email, wondering if Gavin would like to attend a private school in Westerville, Ohio. It had been Grandpa Evans' dream to have one of his grandsons attend Dalton Academy, the same school he'd attended as a boy. Gavin, who adored his grandpa, said he'd do some research, talk to his parents, and get back to him. A quick Google search took Gavin to the school's webpage. The grounds looked lovely and traditional. The boys wore blazers (blazers? On a beach bum from California?) and participated in extracuriculars like drama, debate, yearbook, sports, and the Warblers, which Gavin found to be some sort of a singing group. While all of these attributes seemed quite fine, Gavin was most impressed with the school's inclusive nature and no-bullying policy. "We believe, support, and enforce the idea that Dalton is a place for everyone." And while Gavin's experience in high school had been positive for the most part, the thought of going to school where he could truly be who he was held a certain amount appeal. After many discussions with his parents and a few phone calls with his grandpa, Gavin sent off his application to Dalton. Three weeks later, his acceptance letter arrived.

Gavin knew that saying goodbye to his family was going to be difficult, but he didn't expect the buckets of tears that fell as his family took him to the airport and put him on a plane. For all the fights and scuffles and arguments, the O'Keefe clan was about as close-knit as they come. Parents and kids formed a giant group hug around their boy before he would head through security clearance. When they managed to pull themselves apart, the smallest member of the family remained, clinging to her big brother's leg. "I don't want you to go, Gavvie," cried Siobhan, age three. Gavin reached down and picked up his favorite sister, and hugged her, fresh tears falling from his eyes. He knew that when he came home for Christmas, he'd have missed a big chunk of Bhannie's growing up and that she'd be taller and smarter and not the same.

"Be a good girl for me, 'kay Siobhan? You are in charge of making sure my fish get fed every day, just like we practiced. Can you do that for me?" Gavin asked, pulling away and looking at his little sister in the eyes. Siobhan nodded her head, slipping her thumb into her mouth to comfort herself. "I love you, little sister," Gavin said as he placed her in his dad's arm. Turning to the rest of the family he said, "Well, I guess this is it. I love you all! See you at Thanksgiving!" With that, Gavin turned and got in the security check line, waving to his family once more before disappearing from their sight.

**~oOo~**

"Gavin, I can't tell you how happy my old man heart is, knowing you are attending Dalton. The years I spent here were some of the most important in my life. Life here shaped me into the man I became and I'm thrilled you'll have that same opportunity," Robert Evans said to his grandson.

"I'm really excited, Grandpa, but a little nervous too. I'm really missing home right about now," Gavin said, looking at his grandpa.

"Well, the good news is that your feelings are very normal. And more good news is that Grandma and I are right here in town, so you can get to family in a matter of minutes! All you have to do is give me a call and I'll be here as soon as humanly possible!" Robert said, hugging his grandson.

"Thanks, Grandpa. That means a lot to me," Gavin said.

"Besides, I'll give you three whole days until you've found a whole passel of friends. You won't even want your old Gramps hanging around then!" Robert said, messing up Gavin's hair.

Gavin laughed, hoping what his grandpa said was true. Grandfather and grandson hugged one last time before parting at the front door. Dalton's policy was the freshmen and transfer students were dropped off by parents and families on their first day, and that family members did not cross the threshold of the school until homecoming in October. Gavin joined the gathering crowd of boys who made their ways through the front doors and into the entry hall. After transfer student orientation, room assignments, and schlepping luggage to the Junior dorm, Gavin found himself alone for the first time all day. His single occupancy room was about the size of his room at home, but it sure felt lonely. The quiet made him start to regret his decision to live by himself; Gavin had not realized how much he'd miss the noise he'd always lived with. Opening the door to the hallway let in the noise of boys carting their luggage and moving into the dorm rooms, which provided Gavin with a little bit of comfort. He hoisted his suitcases on to his desk and opened them to unpack. After making up his bed, Gavin reached for a pile of shirts to put in his dresser.

And that's when he heard a door slam, followed by an annoyed, yet slightly amused voice of a boy demanding that his roommates let him back in. "Everything okay out here?" Gavin asked.

**~oOo~**

After setting up his laptop and establishing his school email account, Gavin received a message about a mandatory Junior class meeting in the common room at 7:30. After dinner, he stopped by his room to grab a sweatshirt, and joined the crowd of boys as they made their ways to the main floor. Couches and chairs were set up all around the room and a podium was placed near the fireplace. They boys who gathered were good-naturedly talking and joking around. Gavin felt a bit left out, but he realized that most of these boys had known each other for two years already. He found a chair, sat down, and surveyed the room. Seconds later, he realized that the three boys he'd met in the hallway that afternoon were seated right in front of him. Their current argument consisted of which sport was better, lacrosse or soccer. AJ, the boy Gavin assisted in getting back into his room, emphatically stressed that since he'd now played both games, he could say with great authority that soccer was far superior.

"AJ, you are crazy! In lacrosse, you get to hit people with sticks, man! WITH STICKS! Try doing that in your precious soccer games," one of AJ's roommates challenged.

"Come on! You must admit that soccer is a game of skill and brains. How smart does one have to be to beat the brains out of an opponent? Soccer is where it's at; you just can't bring yourself to admit it," AJ countered.

"Well, we don't have to use our brains because most of ours have been knocked out playing lacrosse!" the other roommate stated, immediately realizing that he'd just lost the argument for his roommate and himself.

"Not helping, Jacob," Michael said.

"But…" Jacob stammered.

AJ turned away, laughing loudly with a smile that reached his crinkled eyes. When his laughter subsided, he looked directly at Gavin and the smile returned. "Hey! Gavin, right? I'm AJ, from this afternoon." AJ stuck out his hand.

"Right!" Gavin said, reaching out his hand to shake AJ's. "Gavin O'Keefe, to be exact. And you were right, by the way. Soccer is far superior."

"Do you play?" AJ asked, turning to fully face Gavin.

"I played on my school team for the past two years. Junior varsity, so no big deal," Gavin said. "I've played on teams since kindergarten. Man, I love that game!"

"Well you should try out for Dalton's team!" AJ said. "I didn't play last year, but I played freshman year. Sophomore year I allowed myself to be swayed by the baboons I live with to play lacrosse, hence our stunningly brilliant conversation a few minutes ago," AJ said. "Hey, by the way, thanks for the help earlier today. How'd you come up with a plan so fast?"

"I have six brothers and sisters, so when you live with that many siblings, you have to be quick. It's a matter of survival, really," Gavin said.

"Well, I'm impressed. I don't have any brothers or sisters, so I guess I'm slow in that department!" AJ said with a laugh. "Soccer tryouts are next week, so let me know if you want to…"

"Sounds great," Gavin said, as a Dalton student, complete with his blue and red blazer, approached the podium and called the boys to order.

**~oOo~**

At 9:30 that evening, Gavin heard a light knock on his door. He found AJ on the other side, holding what looked like the most amazing brownie in the world on a napkin. "Hi! Come in!" Gavin said, moving from the doorway. "How'd you know which room was mine?" he asked.

"I knocked on about fifteen doors before I found you," AJ said, laughing. "Anyway, I wanted to thank you for rescuing me this afternoon. This," AJ said, holding up the treat, "is what Michael and Jacob were after. It's for you!"

"My god, that looks amazing! I can see why they locked you out of your room! Your dad made this?" Gavin asked.

"One of my dads. He sends them with me when I come back to school and sometimes he overnights an entire box of them to me when life gets stressful around here," AJ said. "I have two dads instead of a mom and a dad. Both my dads went to school here, so they know how crazy it gets." AJ waited, not sure how Gavin would react.

"So your dads are…" Gavin started.

"Yep, gay," AJ said, looking Gavin squarely in the eye. AJ wasn't sure what to make of the grin that spread across Gavin's face.

**~oOo~**

**Yes?**

**GirlFromTheWest xxoo**


	2. The Past, Again?

**What? An update so soon? LOVING writing this story. LOVING. **

**Enjoy!**

**PS-Dalton, the Hummels, and anything Glee related does not belong to me. But if they did…oh, lordy…**

**~oOo~**

AJ slipped into room 208, letting the door click quietly as it shut. The orange glow from the clock on his desk read 1:38am. AJ moved through the dark carefully, reaching his dresser and pulling out a pair of pajamas.

"Dude, it's way past curfew," a groggy Jacob whispered from his bed. "Where have you been?"

"Well, since school doesn't start for two more days, I doubt anyone is worried about curfew. I was in Gavin's room, talking," AJ whispered.

"That new kid? I already don't like him," Michael chimed in. Since they were awake, all three boys stopped whispering and carried on their conversation in their normal voices. "I mean, who plays tricks on people they don't even know yet?"

"Smart people who are quick on their feet, that's who! Michael, you haven't even talked to him! After getting to know him tonight, I think he'll fit in here just fine. Gavin is actually kind of funny. I invited him to go with us to breakfast in the morning," AJ said.

"It IS morning," Jacob yawned. "I'm going back to sleep. Keep it down, dummies."

"Goodnight, boys," AJ said, grinning to himself. After he changed into his pajamas and brushed his teeth, AJ got into bed. Despite the late hour, he couldn't sleep. He replayed the evening he's spent with Gavin in his mind, trying to make heads or tails of the strange, but comfortable feelings he had running through him.

Initially, AJ had decided to take a brownie to Gavin not only as a thank you for getting AJ back into his room, but also to make Gavin feel welcome. It had to be tough transferring into a place like Dalton, where everyone already knew each other and friendships had long been established. Besides, AJ was so impressed with Gavin's quick planning and ability to pull off tricking Michael and Jacob into letting AJ back into his room. That kind of quickness was enviable and highly admired by AJ.

Half the dorm floor thought AJ was crazy, knocking on doors looking for the new blonde kid from California. More than once AJ had to send the brownie on a napkin to higher ground to avoid having it snatched away by hungry teenage boys. It did take several knocks and inquiries before Gavin himself opened a door. He invited AJ in and AJ handed over the treat. When AJ revealed that he had two dads rather than a mom and a dad, Gavin grinned.

"What?" AJ asked, bracing himself for the myriad of possible response he could get from Gavin.

"It's cool that you have two dads. Gives me hope for my future," Gavin said lightly, turning to place the brownie on his desk. He turned back to AJ, to find a slightly confused look on his face.

"Wait, what? Are you gay?" AJ asked, not feeling the least bit nervous.

"Yeah, I am. I worry sometimes about how my life will turn out. I really want to get married, have kids, the whole nine yards. Hearing that you have two dads is kind of encouraging and makes me think that having those things is possible for me." Gavin stopped talking, hoping he hadn't gone too far. Of all the people he'd met, Gavin had talked the most to AJ and he really didn't want to freak out his new friend. "Sorry. Too much information. I just forget sometimes that…"

"No! Oh heavens no! Look who I grew up with as parents! None of this is uncomfortable in the least bit. Actually, it all feels quite normal, which is nice for a change. I don't always have much in common, family wise, with the guys here," AJ said.

"I get that!" Gavin said, laughing. The confused look on AJ's face prompted him. "Hello? I have six siblings. How many people do you know can say they come from a family of seven kids?" Gavin grinned, and so did AJ.

After that, their conversation took off. They talked about Dalton ("It's weird at first, all of the traditions and rules, but you'll catch on. I really like it here," AJ said), about their families, sports, travel, and the careers each thought he'd have. At one point, Gavin got up and retrieved the brownie, splitting it in half and offering a piece to AJ. And since brownies require milk, AJ took Gavin by the hand and led him to the student lounge on the floor, where there was a kitchen that was always stocked with bread, peanut butter, jam, crackers, and milk because, well, teenage boys are always hungry. Taking two cartons of milk, the boys walked slowly back to Gavin's room, where they talked for another hour. Looking at the clock on the nightstand, AJ said that he should be getting back to his room.

"Thanks for staying and talking," Gavin said, looking AJ in the eyes. "I'm really missing home and my friends right about now, so it was nice, you know?"

"No problem. It's been nice getting to know you," AJ countered. "Since tomorrow is Saturday, breakfast runs a little later. Want to join us? I can usually hold Michael and Jacob off until 9 before they swear they are dying from starvation. Shall we pick you up?"

"That would be wonderful. Thanks!" Gavin said, grinning. Without pausing, Gavin stepped forward and hugged AJ, again worrying that he'd gone a little too far. AJ returned the hug, not seeming to be the least bit bothered.

"Night, Gavin. See you in the morning," AJ said.

"Sleep well!" Gavin said, before he closed his door.

AJ wasn't sure what it was, but Gavin was different than any other boy he'd met at Dalton. It sure as heck felt like they'd known each other for more than a day. With that, AJ turned on to his side, and went to sleep.

**~oOo~**

Walking back to the dorms after breakfast, Michael said, "OK Cali boy, you've redeemed yourself from your initial shenanigans. The deciding factor in our acceptance of you into our circle of brothers lies in this question."

AJ leaned over to Gavin and whispered, "Don't pay any attention to the idiots before you," which elicited a giggle from Gavin.

"I heard that AJ. Not funny. Here's the question," Michael continued. "Which sport is superior to all others: soccer or lacrosse?"

"Easy," Gavin said, without missing a beat, "soccer."

"Ohhhhhh, and we could have been such good friends!" Jacob said with forced lament. "Wrong, West Coastie. Lacrosse was the answer you were looking for!"

"Sorry, but hitting your opponent with a stick hardly constitutes a worthy sport. Soccer takes brains AND skill. My allegiance lies with soccer," Gavin said.

Jacob stopped in the hallway and turned to face Gavin and AJ. "You two," he said, wagging his index finger between them, "should marry each other. Couple of soccer pansies." Gavin blushed and AJ let out a loud guffaw. They looked at each other and broke into a laugh.

Michael turned around, looking momentarily confused, and then let it go. "Hey, AJ, remember that you promised to take us for a drive in that smokin' hot car you got for your birthday. What time are we leaving?"

"How about in an hour?" AJ replied. "You do know that I have to drive to my Grandma and Grandpa's house and that's over an hour away, right? Are you sure you want to come along?"

"Do they know we're coming with you, because that means your grandma will have those cookies on hand, and that sounds mighty fine about now," Michael said.

"Of course. I'm sure she's been baking since dawn," AJ replied. Michael and Jacob nodded their heads and mumbled something about delicious cookies at they entered their room. Gavin and AJ remained in the hall.

"Look, I don't know if you are interested, but you are welcome to come along. I understand if you have stuff to do, but it might be nice to get out," AJ said.

"No! I mean, yes! I'd love to come along, if only to see this hot car you supposedly have. What is it?" Gavin asked.

"A 2015 Mustang. I just got it."

"Nice. And your grandma bakes for your friends? Really? How kind is that? She must be wonderful," Gavin said.

"Grandma Carol is wonderful, but really, she bakes to keep Michael and Jacob quiet. She married my grandpa when my dad and my Uncle Finn were teenagers, so she knows that boys who are eating are quiet. Same applies to my idiot friends. It's perfect, really," AJ said with a laugh, "Grandma comes off looking like a saint and she preserves her sanity!"

Gavin laughed and said, "I'll see you in an hour."

**~oOo~**

"Shotgun!" Michael and Jacob yelled at the same time, just after stepping foot out of Dalton's main entrance. AJ and Gavin had signed out at the front desk five minutes ago, so they waited by the car in the parking lot. Realizing they'd laid claim to the front passenger seat at the same time, Michael and Jacob resorted to the tie-breaker in shotgun situations: sprinting to the car to see who got there first to claim the coveted spot. They looked like puppies fighting over a ball, as they ran and wrestled at the same time. AJ and Gavin leaned against the car, amused looks on their faces.

"My god," AJ said. "Would you look at that?"

Gavin laughed, highly amused at AJ's roommates. "They are kind of funny…"

"…in an annoying sort of way!" AJ finished. "Try living with them."

"I win!" Jacob shouted, claiming his hand reached the passenger side door handle first.

"So not true!" Michael insisted.

"Boys, Gavin here claimed shotgun even before you got your sorry little selves signed out at the front desk. Problem solved!"

"Not fair," the roommates whined in tandem.

"Really?" AJ asked, looking at his friends incredulously.

"Gavin gets privileges just because he's the new kid," Michael complained.

"Yeah, and because AJ is going to marry him," Jacob added. The boys got quiet. "What? It's the whole soccer thing in the hall. Don't you remember I said…"

"Let it go, Jacob," AJ said.

"Sheesh, it was just a joke. No need to get all worked up!" Jacob said. The ride to the Hummel's house was quiet for all of three minutes, before Jacob and Michael continued their argument over which episode in the Star Wars movie series was best. AJ explained to Gavin that the disagreement and the discussions that came along with it, had been going on since the third day of freshman year. And somehow, listening to the boys talk round and round, trying to convince each other that the first film was or was not the best made, never failed at providing AJ with free entertainment.

**~oOo~**

As soon as AJ pulled into the driveway at his grandparent's house, Burt emerged from the garage, wiping his hands on a rag. "Boys!" he called out, grinning. He was even happy to see those two spider monkeys AJ called roommates. He noticed a third guest getting out of the front seat.

"Grandpa!" AJ shouted, sprinting to Burt and wrapping his arms around him.

"AJ, my boy! I know I just saw you a few days ago, but it's good to see you again so soon! Michael, Jacob, Carol has been baking up a storm for you. Better head up before she starts wondering what's taking you so long!" At that, both boys sprinted up the porch steps, again trying to get in front of the other. After the screen door slammed, Burt turned back to AJ. "Who's your new friend?"

"Grandpa, this is Gavin O'Keefe. He's new to Dalton. Gavin, this is my grandpa, Burt Hummel," AJ said.

"It's nice to meet you, sir," Gavin said, sticking out his hand to shake Burt's.

"Son, there are two things you can call me, and 'sir' is not one of them. Burt or Grandpa will do," Burt said, taking this new boy in. He was impressed with his manners right off, but he was more curious about AJ's behavior around Gavin. Something was different, something he'd seen before, in another time. Burt brushed it off and ushered the boys into the house.

Just as Carol had Michael and Jacob corralled and calm at the kitchen table, she heard the front door open and she spied her grandson. "AJ! Come give your grandma a hug! I've missed you!" Carol said, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Gram, it's only been a few days!" AJ said, grinning and hugging her tight.

"I know, but a few days to too many in my book," Carol said, pulling back and looking at her grandson's face. Realizing there was another boy present, she turned and looked at Gavin. "Who do we have here?" she asked.

"Gram, this is Gavin and he lives down the hall from us," AJ said. "Gav, this is the best grandma in the whole wide world, Carol Hummel."

Gavin shook Carol's hand and told her it was nice to meet her. "I'm impressed by how you've tamed the beasts at your kitchen table!" Gavin said. Burt, Carol, AJ, and Gavin all looked through the door from the living room to the kitchen, to see Michael and Jacob inhaling Carol's cookies. Between chewing noises and grunts of satisfaction, Carol shook her head.

"It's like having TWO Finn's at home again," she said, sighing.

"More like four Finn's," Burt countered. AJ laughed, having heard stories of Kurt and Finn's teen years.

"Come on Gavin, I'll show you around," AJ said. As they walked around, Gavin paid attention to the multitude photographs throughout the house, particularly those down the long hallway. His family did the same thing at their house in California, which made Gavin feel a little tinge of homesickness. AJ noticed the Gavin studying the pictures, and asked him if he wanted the run-down. Gavin nodded, always interested in people's photos.

"Well, this is my dad, Kurt, on his first birthday. That lady is his mom, who died when he was eight. This is a picture of my dad after his one and only year playing baseball. The stories around that are legendary. This is Grandpa and Dad at 6th grade graduation. Here's a wedding picture from Grandma and Grandpa's wedding. Here's one of both my dads at Dalton. Recognize the blazers?" Gavin looked closer at that picture, immediately seeing both of the men in AJ's face. He instantly knew where that crazy curly hair came from! "This is a picture of my dad and my Uncle Finn and this one is of my dads when they went to Formal Ball at Dalton. Bored yet?" AJ asked.

"No, no!" Gavin said. "Continue, please!"

"This picture is of my dads' wedding and the one next to it is from their honeymoon in Europe. Next is a picture of my dad, Kurt, on stage," AJ said.

"Is your dad an actor?" Gavin asked.

"Yep. He's on Broadway," AJ said it like it was no big deal, so Gavin let it be. "My other dad is an author."

"Blaine Hummel-Anderson? I just finished his latest book before I left home. He's good," Gavin said, trying not to appear too excited.

"Yeah, I like his work," AJ said. "This picture is of me at the hospital, just after I was born. My birth mom is right here. She's my Auntie Millie, but really she's my dad, Kurt's cousin. I have both my dads' genetics, which is kind of cool. Confused yet?" AJ asked with a laugh.

"I'm with you!" Gavin said. "Who is this?"

"That's my Uncle Finn, Aunt Rachel and my cousin Chloe," Gavin said. "This last frame has two pictures of the same people. My dad went to public high school for a while and he was in a show choir called New Directions…"

"Nude Erec…" Gavin repeated, a little bit of horror on his face.

"Yeah, I know. Not a very well-thought out name. When my dad went to Dalton and met my other dad, Blaine, he joined our show choir, the Warblers. Both groups competed against each other, but also became friends. So, the top picture is all of them in high school and the bottom picture is all of them at my thirteenth birthday. They are my extended family."

Gavin examined the picture closely. "Hey, is that your uncle and aunt in these pictures?" he asked.

"Yep. They were all in it together. From what I hear, they all drove each other crazy in school, but they always stuck together, no matter what. We all get together several times a year."

"And they are…okay with your two dads and everything?"

"Totally," AJ said.

"Cool!" Gavin replied.

Carol's voice echoed down the hall. "Boys! Lunch is ready!"

"Be prepared to be amazed, Gavin. My grandma is the best cook in the world. She beats the chef at Dalton, no questions asked!" AJ said. Once again, he grabbed Gavin's hand and let him to a kitchen. Timidly, Gavin pulled his hand away as they approached the table. This act did not go unnoticed by Carol and Burt Hummel.

**~oOo~**

"Drive safely!" Carol called, as she and Burt waved. AJ and his friends were on their way back to Dalton, but before they left, Carol pinned AJ down on when he'd visit again. "How about dinner on Friday night?" she asked.

"Sounds great. Maybe I can stay over too?" AJ asked.

"Of course you can!" Carol answered.

After AJ's Mustang was out of sight, Carol turned to Burt. "Buuuuuurt," she started.

"You noticed too, huh?" Burt asked.

"They can't have known each other long, but I got the same vibes I felt when Kurt started bringing Blaine home all those years ago. AJ was acting differently, way differently than he acts around Michael and Jacob," Carol said.

"Are we ready for round two?" Burt asked, looking at Carol.

"Well, maybe they are just going to be good friends," Carol said. "We'll just do what we did with Kurt and Blaine: watch, listen, and make sure good decisions are being made. Gavin really is a cute boy and so polite!"

Burt broke into a laugh. "My dear, you said the exact same thing about Blaine when Kurt brought him home for the first time!"

Carol started to say, "No I did not…" but stopped, because she realized she had. "Should we call Kurt and warn him?"

"Naw. I think we don't know enough and I'd hate to start a big deal over a hunch that's gone wrong. Besides, you know how Kurt will react, and really, this is AJ's deal."

"You are right. Come on, let's get back inside. Movie tonight?" Carol asked.

"Sounds perfect," Burt said.

**~oOo~**

**Is there anything sweeter than these boys? Keep your eyes open for a new story soon!**

**GirlFromTheWest xxoo**


	3. A Movie and a Conversation

**Hello Dear Readers! Ready for some seriously honest conversations? We pick up where we left off, with AJ, Gavin, Michael, and Jacob leaving the Hummel home in Lima and heading back to school. Enjoy!**

**~oOo~**

Two hours later, AJ pulled his car into the student parking lot at Dalton. The sun had just set and shadows engulfed the campus in the gloaming. True to form, Michael and Jacob picked up their Star Wars conversation moments after leaving the Hummel's driveway, which kept them entertained in the back seat. AJ and Gavin spent the two hour trip to school in a conversation that was easy and comfortable. Even in exiting the car and walking towards the building, the Star Wars conversation continued. AJ and Gavin hung back a bit.

"Do you think they'll be able to wrap that up before graduation? Do they know they only have two years to prove each other wrong?" Gavin asked.

"Ha!" AJ said. "I'm pretty sure they'll just keep talking around each other. Heck, I can see them, two little old men, sitting in rockers on the front porch of a retirement home still trying to convince the other that he's wrong." AJ followed that up with his best imitation of Michael and Jacob arguing, in old man voices. Gavin laughed so hard he started to choke, which lead to AJ smacking him on the back and then cracking up himself.

Gavin threw an arm around AJ's shoulder and said, "Dude, you've got to stop making me laugh like that or you're going to kill me!" Immediately, he withdrew his arm and looked at AJ. "God, I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean to…oh crap." Gavin took a step away from AJ and covered his forehead with his hand.

AJ stopped walking, looked at his newest friend and said, "What?"

"My arm…I didn't mean to…I mean…shit!" Gavin whispered.

A second later, AJ realized what was going on. "Ooooooh! Okay first, language, sir! Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Gavin removed his hand from his forehead and looked at AJ with a grin.

"Sorry about that."

"Second, your arm was just fine where it was."

"Really? Because I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable. The lines get kind of blurry when I'm involved sometimes. I don't want you to think I'm…"

"Gav, shut the hell up," AJ said.

"Language, sir. Do you kiss your mother…I mean fathers with that mouth?"

"Touche," AJ said. "Look, I'm probably the last person you need to worry about when it comes to being yourself, so relax, okay? Besides, you're making me uptight, so knock it off! Now, since this is officially the last night of summer, because beginning tomorrow night, we have to worry about morning classes, what do you say to a movie night? I've got a bajillion movies. We can ask my darling Neanderthals to join us as well. What do you say?"

"Sounds great. Where do you want to meet?" Gavin asked.

"My room, nine o'clock?" AJ returned.

"I have a stash of snacks my mom has no idea I brought along. Care to indulge?" Gavin asked, grinning.

"Totally. I've still got some Daddy B brownies hidden away. If we eat them, we must be discrete," AJ added. "I'll grab milk from the kitchen." By this time, they'd reached the front door of Dalton, where they signed in and made their way to the Junior dorm. "See you in a few," AJ said, as they parted near Gavin's door.

**~oOo~**

"Well, we just invited Josh and Kevin over to play poker, but thanks for thinking of us," Michael said when AJ asked if they wanted to do a movie night.

"No worries. I'm sure we can watch a movie in Gavin's room. Do we need to have a little refresher course in betting during poker? We don't want a repeat of last spring's end of the year game. Jacob?" AJ said, looking at his roommate. Jacob's lack of experience in Five Card Stud cost him a fair amount of the money his parents sent to travel home for the summer, and they were not thrilled to have to send him more.

"Naw, I'm good," Jacob said, smiling at AJ. "We're only betting pennies this time."

"Brilliant plan. Okay, I'll be down in Gavin's room if you need me," AJ said, as he quietly pulled a box out from under a pile of Dalton sweaters on the top shelf in his closet and left the room.

**~oOo~**

Moments before nine, AJ approached Gavin's door, just as Gavin prepared to leave for room 208. "Hey! I thought we were watching in your room?" Gavin said.

"Change of plans. Michael and Jacob are hosting a poker party and believe me, you don't want to be part of that hot mess. Is it okay if we watch the movie in your room?"

"Of course!" Gavin said, stepping back inside the room. "Sorry it's kind of a mess."

AJ looked around and smiled. "If this is your definition of a mess, we need to have a talk, boy!" Gavin pulled his laptop from his desk and turned to find AJ sitting on his bed, his back against the wall. In front of him were ten different movies of varying genres. "I wasn't sure which movie you'd want to watch, so I brought all kinds."

"Wow! You have quite the selection. Not many people I know like this many genres of film," Gavin said.

"Well, once you meet my dads you'll understand. I've watched everything from old musicals to mysteries the old horror flicks to romcoms. One of my dads is not too jazzed about action movies, but my other dad loves them, so I've watched those too," AJ said. "So, pick your poison."

"I love this one!" Gavin said, choosing _A Knight's Tale_, with Heath Ledger. "It's kinda sad that he died so young. Is this one okay with you?"

"This," AJ said, smiling, "is my go-to. It is quite possible that this movie will be on my all-time favorites list for the rest of my life. _A Knight's Tale _it is!" AJ removed the DVD and handed it to Gavin.

Snacks were arranged, the overhead light was put out, and the movie began. AJ and Gavin sat side by side, shoulders barely touching. Silently, they watched the beginning of the movie. Just as they got to the part where William trains to disguise himself as a knight, AJ realized that Gavin was very still. Moments later, his breathing deepened. As AJ looked to his left, Gavin's head fell and landed on AJ's shoulder. Tiny snores were next, right in AJ's ear. He chuckled, and went back to watching the movie.

Later, just before the final scene, Gavin's head shot up and he looked around, confused. Looking at AJ he said, "Oh crap. I fell asleep and it looks like I used your shoulder as a pillow." A tiny puddle of drool was on AJ's sweatshirt. "Sorry about that. I should have told you that I tend to conk out during movies. It's the big joke at home. When we go to the theater, my friends call it 'Gavin's $10 nap.' Then they argue over who has to sit next to me and be the human pillow," he said. "And the other thing is I tend to…"

"…snore!" AJ said, grinning.

"Oh god," Gavin said, blushing.

"I dunno. I thought it was kind of funny," AJ said.

"I wasn't very good company, though."

"No worries. I'd offer to watch another one with you but I'm guessing the results would be the same?" AJ asked.

"Sadly, that is most likely so," AJ said. "We can still eat snacks. I never fall asleep while I'm eating!" Gavin said, like a true teenage boy. Out came the contraband snacks that were smuggled from California, as well as the brownies that were smuggled out of room 208. The boys fell into easy conversation again and discussed everything from music to soccer to the upcoming school year.

"I sure miss my friends at home," Gavin said. "I didn't think it would be this bad! No offense! I've had a great time with you and Michael and Jacob, but…it's just…you know."

"Here's a question for you," AJ proposed. "Don't answer if I'm overstepping. Do you have a boyfriend at home?"

Gavin got quiet and stared at the opposite wall. "No. I haven't had a boyfriend. It's just never been something that has happened. I know some other guys my age who are gay, but we're just friends. None are really my type, I guess. What about you? Dating anyone?"

"No, no one. I don't know, in the past I haven't felt the need to get serious like that. I have lots of friends at home and we usually just hang out in a big group. And here, same," AJ said. He stayed silent for a few minutes, as he thought about his life and where he thought he'd end up. Gavin interrupted with his own question.

"So, turnabout is fair game. I have a question for you. Don't answer if I'm overstepping," Gavin said, smiling. AJ caught the reference to what he'd said earlier and grinned.

"Shoot," AJ said.

"I'm not getting a bead on you, AJ, so I'm just going to be blunt. Boys or girls?" Gavin asked, turning to look at his friend.

"Boys or girls what?" AJ answered, a sly look crossing his face.

"Come on, you know what I mean."

AJ sighed and turned to look at Gavin. "I've thought a lot about this. Growing up in my family, you can imagine that all kinds of options have always been totally fine and acceptable. My dads spent my entire thirteenth year trying to 'figure me out' and every time I brought a boy home or a girl home, they grilled me. I know they were just trying to keep the lines of communication open, but who wants to talk to their parents about this kind of stuff?" AJ grinned and continued. "I guess it comes down to this for me: it seems like the person is most important, not the gender. I'm not sure what that makes me, besides weird. There have been times when I've found myself attracted to boys and then other times, I experience those same feelings for a girl."

"So, no labels, huh? I don't think that's weird at all. In fact, it seems very thoughtful to me" Gavin said.

"Yeah, no labels. It may seem thoughtful, but it sure feels confusing lots of the time."

"I think that's reasonable. Thanks for answering, by the way. I appreciate it. And thanks for not freaking out."

AJ picked up Gavin's hand and said, "Pssht, it takes a lot more than that to freak me out." Gavin looked down at their linked hands and looked back at AJ.

"Is this okay?" AJ asked, raising their hands. "I'm kind of a physical person. Sorry if this makes you uncomfortable." AJ attempted to untangle his hand from Gavin's.

Gavin held on to AJ's hand and said, "No! It's fine. Totally fine."

**~oOo~**

On the last curfew free night, AJ announced to Gavin that he should probably get back to his room. They tidied up the snack mess and gathered AJ's movies into a pile. AJ stretched, yawned and said, "Wow! I'm really tired." He twisted from side to side, trying to loosen his back muscles.

"Well, AJ Hummel-Anderson, this was fun and I hope we have many other movie nights in the future," Gavin said.

"Yeah! It was fun. You're so easy to talk to and you are a nice break from the hyperactivity in 208!" AJ said, smiling. He held out his arms and Gavin walked right into them. The hug they shared was warm and genuine. It also lasted a little longer than the typical friend hug. Years later, if you'd asked both boys what they remembered about that hug, they'd both say that they remembered taking in fragrance of each other's cologne and they'd both say that the hug felt familiar, almost too familiar between people who'd only known each other for a few days.

"Good night Gavin. Thank you for being the best host ever…even if you fall asleep on your guests," AJ said, releasing Gavin enough to look at his face.

Gavin blushed. "Sorry about that! I'll try to remain awake next time, but no guarantees. Maybe if I set up a coffee IV drip, you know, a constant stream of caffeine entering my system?"

AJ laughed. "That might just work!" He let go of Gavin, repressing a surprising desire to hug him again. "Sleep well, Gav. See you tomorrow."

"You sleep well too. And thanks again. For everything," Gavin said. Gavin closed the door to his room and leaned his back against it. He looked up at the ceiling, not sure what to feel.

As Gavin's door closed, AJ's back found the hallway wall. He knew that he needed a few minutes to sort things out in his brain before returning to Michael and Jacob. With neither knowing what the other was doing, the boys smiled to themselves at precisely the same moment. Gavin changed into his pajamas and crawled into bed. AJ quietly made his way to his room and did the same, this time without waking his roommates. Both boys drifted off to sleep, thinking about each other.

**~oOo~**

**Aren't they the cutest boys ever? Would Michael and Jacob make you crazy if you had to live with them? It's a good thing AJ adores them!**

**That is all for now! Thanks for reading and have a great day!**

**GirlFromTheWest xxoo**


	4. Double Dog Dare

**Hello Dear Readers! Yes, I'm updating again. Honestly, these stories are a result of me following AJ and Gavin around, and they've been quite demanding these days! Truly, these tales are so fun to write. I hope you are enjoying them.**

**Anything that smacks of Glee is not mine. Anything that doesn't is. **

**Enough of that! Let's get on with the show!**

**~oOo~**

"I forgot how tired school makes me!" Michael exclaimed. The first day of classes at Dalton was officially finished, and the three roommates were in their dorm, blazers tossed aside and ties loosened.

"We do this every year," Jacob said, shaking his head. "We shouldn't stay up so late the night before first classes! I think I'm going to take a nap before dinner. The only homework I have is…"

"Physics!" all three boys said in unison. Their physics teacher, Mr. Jance, was notorious for assigning homework on the first day. Most of the other teachers understood the transition and let the boys ease into school. Not Mr. Jance.

AJ stood up and headed for his dresser, where he pulled out shorts and a t-shirt. "Well, I have soccer tryouts in thirty minutes, so I'll meet you guys back here before dinner. Has anyone seen my shinnies? Never mind, found them," AJ said, as he unearthed his shin guards from the bottom of a drawer.

After gathering his soccer ball and water bottle, AJ swung by Gavin's room to see if he'd be trying out. Gavin was just about ready to head to the field when AJ knocked on his door. "Hey! You are trying out! Cool. Let's get out there; I need some time to stretch," AJ said, hurrying Gavin along.

The September weather was completely cooperative that day, with a few rain showers in the morning and sunny, blue skies all afternoon. As the boys walked to the sports complex on campus, AJ asked, "How was your first day at Dalton? You are still alive, that's a good sign!"

Gavin laughed and said, "I'm just hanging on by a thread! No, really, it went pretty well. I found my way around and my classes seem okay. Hey, what is with the physics teacher assigning that huge reading for tonight?"

AJ said, "He was the discussion in room 208 right before I left. Mr. Jance is notorious for piling on the work. I had him for chemistry last year, so I'm kind of use to it. He's a nice teacher and we'll all learn a lot, but not without paying the price of a freaking mountain of homework."

Moments later, they joined the other boys who gathered for soccer tryouts. In small groups, they stretched, talked, kicked a ball around, and warmed up by running. After stretching, AJ asked, "Hey, what position do you play?"

"Keeper is my primary spot, but I can play backfield or even center forward if I need to," Gavin replied.

"Want me to warm you up in the goal?" AJ asked.

"Sure!" Gavin replied. Giving Gavin a minute to get situated, AJ sent him his best shot, high and to his right of where Gavin stood in the goal. Gavin flew to his left and easily snagged the ball, saving the shot.

"Holy crap, you _are_ good!" AJ called. Gavin waved him off and continued to block, catch, ricochet, and capture any shot AJ sent his way.

Only one shot, AJ's specialty "sinker" move, was missed by Gavin. From Gavin's perspective in the goal box, it looked like the shot was going to fly over the net. Gavin was fully prepared to hold up both hands like a football referee and yell, "It's good!" to tease AJ for confusing his sports. At the last possible second, the ball dipped and sailed right under the bar. Gavin made a valiant effort to claim it, but he missed.

"Nice shot, Harry Potter. Are you magical or what?" Gavin called.

"If the Harry Potter thing is a crack about my hair, not appreciated. And yes, I am quite magical, thank you very much!" AJ yelled, a bit of Kurt-like defiance in his voice. Gavin's laughter rang across the field, which made AJ laugh too. At that moment, they heard the coach's whistle and they assembled with the other players on the field.

**~oOo~**

An hour and a half later, twenty tired and muddy boys walked from the sports complex to the dorms. "Guess I should have worked out more over the summer!" Gavin said to AJ, who was equally exhausted.

"Coach really put us through the paces, didn't he?" AJ said. "Still, I love the game! I never feel tired until I stop playing. Hey, how's that cut on your leg?" he asked Gavin.

"Dunno. I can't see it," Gavin said, trying to look at the back of his leg. "It stings, that's for sure." Another boy's cleat slid across the back of Gavin's calf when they both went for the ball in a scrimmage, leaving an impressive scrape.

AJ stopped and said, "Let me look at it." He crouched down and examined the wound on Gavin's leg. "It's a big one, but not very deep. It's full of dirt and grass, so you'll want to clean it up well."

"Eh, it's not big deal," Gavin said, "it will stop stinging soon."

"Dude. Seriously, you need to clean it out really well, or you're going to end up with an infection. Promise me you'll go see the nurse."

"Dude. Seriously, it will be fine," Gavin said, grinning at AJ. As they approached the dorm, Gavin asked, "Want to go to dinner?"

AJ stopped in his tracks, looked at Gavin and smiled. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"No! No, I meant…oh man, that came out wrong, I meant…"

"Relax, I was just joking," AJ said, nudging Gavin's shoulder with his own.

"Oh, well, not that taking you out to dinner would be a bad thing, I just meant, you know, dinner, like, in the dining room, just like every night…"

"Seriously, I said relax…"

"Well, maybe sometime we could go to dinner. I mean out to dinner. Like…out."

"Gav, you should probably just stop talking," AJ said.

"Good plan. So…"

"I'll meet you in twenty minutes for dinner. Here at Dalton. Not a date. In the dining hall. Like every night," AJ said, cutting his eyes towards Gavin and grinning.

**~oOo~**

Twenty minutes later, AJ and his wet hair knocked on Gavin's door. "I come bearing gifts!" AJ said, holding up a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, some gauze, tape, and a pair of tweezers.

"Oh no, no, no you don't!" Gavin said, backing away from the door. "My cut is just fine. I cleaned it out in the shower."

"And just as I expected, you didn't see the nurse. Excuse me Mr. O'Keefe, but I had the pleasure of viewing your war wound up close and personal, and some of the debris was in too deep to be washed off in the shower. Lift up your pant leg." AJ took a step in the door.

"Sorry, these are my skinny jeans. Won't be able to help you out there," Gavin said, giving AJ his best "you're out of luck!" look.

"Then drop 'em," AJ said.

"AJ! No way, man. Come on, trust me. It's going to be fine. Let's head to dinner…" Gavin attempted to move towards the door, but was blocked by AJ.

"Nu-uh. Wounds first, dinner later. Now hurry up. Once Michael and Jacob get down there, the food will be gone." AJ's tone was serious and Gavin didn't see a way out.

"Fine," Gavin conceded, "but you hurt me, I cannot be held responsible for the injuries you sustain due to my reflexes." He stripped to his boxers, and stood there, defiantly.

"Okay. Lay down on your stomach…" AJ pointed to Gavin's bed.

"AJ!" Gavin pleaded! AJ held his ground.

"Fine, but if I kick you…"

"I know, I know, you can't be held responsible for…" AJ climbed up on Gavin's bed and sat down just above Gavin's ankles.

"What are you doing?" Gavin asked, trying to look behind him.

"Protecting myself from your flailing reflexes. Now, be a good patient, or there will be no balloon for you when we are done!" AJ said.

Sure enough, Gavin's cut held all kind of dirt, grass, and sand from the soccer field. "This might tingle a little," AJ said, as he poured a little hydrogen peroxide over the cut.

"HOLY CRAP!" Gavin yelled, "Is 'tingle' just a euphemism for 'stings like hell'? Dammit, AJ, that hurts!"

"Ten dollars for the correct use of 'euphemism' in a sentence! And yes, by the way, it was. Now hold still," AJ said. "Okay, now I can see what going on here. Looks like a few pieces of grass and a little bit of sand. This shouldn't take long. I'm going to use the tweezers now. If you move, you'll make it ten times worse."

Gavin held his breath, bracing for pain, but was pleased to find that AJ had a steady hand and was quite good with the tweezers. "Okay! I got the grass out. Three tiny pebbles to go," AJ said. Moments later, AJ taped a piece of gauze to back of Gavin's leg and pronounced him fixed.

"Remind me not to get wounded in your presence again!" Gavin said.

"You're just lucky I didn't need to bring out my stitching kit!" AJ said, joking.

"You have one?" Gavin asked, not sure if AJ was being serious.

"Yes! I used it just this morning to sew a loose button on my blazer!" AJ said with a grin.

"Oh I get it: doctor and stand-up comedian. With those skills, you'll go far in life!" Gavin said.

"I plan to," AJ said.

**~oOo~**

The next Monday, the soccer team roster was posted in the commons. AJ made the team as a center forward and Gavin made it as keeper and back up defender. Practice started on Tuesday, right after classes and the first game was schedule for two Saturdays later.

As Gavin and AJ approached the field, Coach Martin stopped his conversation with the athletic trainer and yelled, "Hummel-Anderson! It's good to see that you got your head back on straight and returned to the one true sport. Good to have you back in the fold, son!"

"Thanks, Coach!" AJ returned.

"And O'Keefe! Where in the world did you come from?"

"California, sir," Gavin said.

"Coach, not sir. And I don't care if you came from Mars! My prayers were answered when I watched you work the goal box. Welcome!"

"Thanks, Sir…Coach…Sir."

"Enough chit-chat. Laps. Both of you!" Coach Martin barked.

AJ and Gavin took off, jogging first and then adding speed. Their strides matched almost perfectly, which made staying together easy. "I double dog dare you to call Coach Martin 'Sir Coach' at any opportunity available," AJ said.

"Messing with coaches is one of my favorite things to do," Gavin said. "What's in it for me?"

"Well, I'll continue to stay on as your personal physician, no extra charge…"

"How gracious of you," Gavin smirked.

"…and I'll take you to dinner and a movie."

Gavin stopped running. Three paces later, so did AJ and he turned around. "What?" AJ asked, arms akimbo.

"AJ Hummel-Anderson, are you asking me out on a date?"

"Keep running you two!" Coach Martin yelled across the field.

"Do you want it to be a date? I mean we could call it a…" AJ was cut off.

"Yeah, I think I do want it to be a date," Gavin replied. He smiled, turned towards his new coach and yelled, "No problem, Sir Coach! Sorry, Sir Coach!"

"O'Keefe, I don't appreciate a smartass, just so you know!" Coach Martin yelled across the field. AJ broke out in a fit of giggles and Gavin followed suit.

When they'd caught their breath and started running again, AJ said, "Okay, so, this Saturday, we have 6:00 reservations for dinner. I hope you like Greek food. Movie is at 8:00. I'll pick you up at your room at 5:30," AJ winked at Gavin and sprinted ahead, leaving a sputtering and delightfully surprised boy from California in his dust.

**~oOo~**

**Hear that noise? It's the sound of yet another AJ/Gavin induced cavity as it takes up residence in your teeth. Do know that there be angsty (is that even a word?) waters ahead, but not quite yet. It's all just so cute right now, so why muck things up?**

**GirlFromTheWest xxoo**


	5. Scared

**Okay, Dear Readers! Are you ready to ride the angsty roller coaster? Hang on!**

**Glee is not mine. *sobs into her pillow***

**~oOo~**

The rest of the week rolled by, with classes in full-speed-ahead mode and exhausting soccer practices. Before the boys knew it, it was Friday afternoon and it was time for soccer. Gavin and AJ took their usual route to the sports complex, talking about the week and their plans for Saturday.

During a lull in the conversation, Gavin looked straight ahead and recognized two boys from the team in the distance. As they walked the taller boy reached over and pulled the other to his side and slipped an arm over his shoulder. As he did this, the taller boy planted a kiss on the temple of the boy next to him.

"Whoa! Did I just see that? Are Will and Owen together?" Gavin asked AJ.

"Yeah. They have been since the end of freshman year. Why?"

"I…wow. Are people around here okay with them walking around like that?" Gavin asked.

"We're at Dalton, remember?" AJ said. "Any kind of teasing or bullying would not be tolerated. Everyone is chill, unless their PDA gets out of hand, and really, where is that not gross? You look a little shocked."

"A little shocked and a lot relieved. That would have never gone down at my old school," Gavin said.

"Well, you aren't at your old school, now are you?" AJ asked, punching Gavin lightly on the arm. "Race you to Will and Owen!" AJ yelled, already taking off at a sprint.

"Cheater!" Gavin yelled, running his fastest to catch up to AJ, which he did.

**~oOo~**

AJ was thankful that Michael and Jacob were on the overnight history field trip on Saturday so that he could get ready for his…date?...dinner-and-movie-between-friends?…whatever it was, with Gavin. The boys would be full of questions (one of which would be "Can we come along?" and "Well, why not?" when AJ told them no) and he just wasn't ready to answer them. AJ showered and turned to his closet, where you chose his favorite jeans, oxfords _sans_ socks, a light blue button down shirt and a navy pull over vest. He tamed his hair, checked the clock and realized he had five minutes before he had to leave.

Down the hall, Gavin, too, prepared for the evening. Gavin chose to wear skinny tan cords, and a white t-shirt under a red v-neck sweater. He tousled his hair, brushed his teeth, and was just taking one last look in the mirror when he heard a light knock. He opened the door and there stood AJ Hummel-Anderson.

"Hi!" Gavin said, "Come in! I'm just about ready. You look great, by the way."

"Thank you," AJ replied. "You don't look so shabby yourself! Red is a good color for you."

A slightly uncomfortable silence filled the air. Neither boy was sure how to handle this new facet of their relationship. The awkwardness hung around for a few seconds longer before AJ said, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes!" Gavin said, almost relieved that they were talking again. "I just need to grab my wallet. So, where are you taking me to dinner?"

"It's a new place called Zorba's and the food is supposed to be really good," AJ said as he pulled Gavin's door shut behind him. The boys walked through the dorm hallways to the main entrance to Dalton, where they'd sign themselves out for the evening. Since they were now juniors, they were allowed to be out until 11pm. The staff member on duty that night reminded them to not be late, as the consequences were steep. Minutes later, the boys were in AJ's car, driving towards downtown Westerville.

Thankfully, it did not take much time for the awkwardness to dissipate and their easy way of conversing returned. While waiting for their food, they each talked about their families and growing up on opposite coasts. AJ learned that living with siblings was not all puppy kisses and rainbows. Gavin learned that being the kid of two dads made things uncomfortable sometimes. Gavin asked more about Kurt's career on Broadway and Blaine's books. AJ asked about what people do for fun in California. Once their food arrived, the conversation continued, and before they knew it, both boys were stuffed.

"That was an amazing meal," Gavin said, patting his stomach. "I can't think of the last time I felt completely full!'

"No kidding. I think you are going to have to tip me over and roll me out of here," AJ said, stretching his arms to the sky, hoping to create a little more room in his stomach. After telling the waiter that they couldn't possibly handle dessert ("I think that's the first time in my life I've passed on dessert. How weird," AJ said) AJ reached for his wallet to pay the bill.

"Oh no you don't," Gavin said, slapping his hand down on the ticket. "I'm paying."

"Excuse me, but who asked out whom?" AJ challenged.

"Doesn't matter. I'm paying," Gavin said as he reached for his wallet.

"Is that David Beckham over there?" AJ pointed across the restaurant.

"What…where…" Gavin choked, looking around frantically. When his hand left the ticket, AJ snapped it up.

"Ha! Oldest trick in the book." Gavin sent his best glare in AJ's direction, but they boys started laughing. After AJ paid, the exited the restaurant and walked towards the car. Seconds later, AJ felt a hand slip inside his. He turned to Gavin and smiled.

"This okay?" Gavin asked quietly.

"Totally okay," AJ returned.

**~oOo~**

"So, what are the chances that you'll stay awake through the entire movie," AJ asked Gavin.

"Usually, I'd say slim-to-none, but I've been anxious to see this movie since I saw the trailers last spring. I mean, Will Smith, Sandra Bullock, aliens, and explosives. Who wouldn't want to stay awake for that?"

Gavin may have started the movie with the best of intentions, but, like clockwork, twenty minutes into the feature, his head drooped and landed on AJ's shoulder. And just like last time, soft little snores, not loud enough to be heard by anyone but AJ, began. AJ smiled and rested his own head on Gavin's as he continued to watch the movie.

True to form, Gavin woke up ten minutes before the end of the movie. He moved, causing AJ to lift his head, and smile at Gavin. "Good morning sunshine," AJ whispered.

"Damn. I did it again," Gavin whispered back. He settled in to watch the last minutes of the movie, taking AJ's hand in his. When the movie ended, they had just enough time to get back to Dalton and sign in. Since there was still one hour until lights out, the boys decided to head to the commons to talk for a while.

"So, don't you think it's kind of weird that you have, like, this collection of movie stories in your head, where you know what happens in the beginning and you know what happens in the end, but you have no clue what happens in the middle?" AJ asked.

"I know, right? Actually, that's where your job comes in. You are supposed to tell me what I missed while I slept," Gavin said, grinning at AJ.

"Oh, so now I'm not only your personal physician…"

"I never agreed to that."

"Yes you did. So, now I'm your doctor AND your movie-filler-inner?"

"Seems that way! So, tell me what happened after I fell asleep. Will Smith had just been fired by his boss…" AJ began telling the story from that point on and before they knew it, the lights in the commons flickered, reminding the boys that bedtime was in ten minutes.

"I guess we'd best head back to the dorm," AJ said, standing and extending a hand to Gavin. They both moved towards the staircase that would deliver them to their rooms. Their walk was quiet, but in a good way.

When they arrived at Gavin's door, he turned to AJ and said, "Well, that was fun. Thanks for being brave and asking me to dinner. I had a great time and I don't think I have to eat for a week!"

AJ laughed and said, "I had a good time too. Thanks for saying yes. I guess I should be heading for…AJ stopped mid sentence because Gavin reached over and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Good night AJ," Gavin said, as he opened his door. "Sleep well."

"Night Gavin. You too."

**~oOo~**

No matter how hard he tried, AJ could not get comfortable that night. He tossed and turned, punched his pillow, took off blankets, added more blankets. Finally, at 3:36, he sat up in bed and turned on the light.

He'd had a really good time with Gavin that night. An amazing time, really. His feelings for Gavin made him feel happy and comfortable, but an uneasy feeling ate at him too. In the past, AJ had experienced the feelings associated with normal teenage crushes. And while these feelings were real, AJ found that they did not sustain themselves over time. This thing with Gavin was different, he could tell, and quite frankly, AJ was scared. He knew that when a person gives their heart away, the chance of having it broken grows exponentially, and AJ wasn't sure he could take that kind of pain. He also knew that if this relationship with Gavin continued to grow, his life would never be the same, and that scared him too. The conflict pushed and pulled him for the rest of the night and by the time the sun came up the next morning, the only solution AJ could see was to slow things down with Gavin. Maybe if he avoided Gavin for a few days, he'd get a sense of what he was supposed to do, sort of like stepping back and watching the situation before making any decisions. AJ was sure this plan would work and that in a few days, this inner turmoil would be gone.

That morning, Gavin hung around, waiting for AJ to stop by and pick him up for breakfast, like he normally did on Sundays. When he didn't show, AJ walked down the hall and knocked on the door of 208. No one answered, so Gavin went to breakfast by himself and ended up eating with his study group from French class. A couple of hours later, he knocked on 208 again, but this time, AJ answered. He seemed preoccupied and said that he had tons of homework and that he'd be studying all day. Gavin offered to bring him a snack later, but AJ declined, saying he'd be fine. Gavin noticed a change in AJ's behavior from the previous night, but wrote it off to homework stress. He knew that some people handled a busy schedule by sequestering themselves, and that was totally fine. When Gavin went to dinner at six, he passed AJ, who was exiting the dining room and heading back to his room. AJ waved and smiled, but continued on his way without speaking. This made Gavin a little more nervous, but he continued to give AJ his space. At 8:30 that night, Gavin decided to check on AJ. Before he knocked on his door, he heard laughing voices within the room. Jacob and Michael must have returned from their field trip and they were obviously telling stories that were hilarious, because AJ's booming laugh almost shook the door. Gavin decided to not disturb the friends, and returned to his room for the night.

Monday was more of the same. AJ avoided Gavin, yet politely waved or said "hi" to him in the halls. At meals, Gavin found himself eating with Michael and Jacob or with friends he'd made in other classes. When he asked AJ's roommates where he was, they responded with, "Studying like a mad man. He gets that way sometimes," they said. What they didn't share is that AJ only goes into extreme focus mode when he needs to be distracted. Gavin picked up his dishes, took them to the bussing station, and left for his afternoon English class. In the time he'd known AJ, he'd never seen this side of him. And while he'd like to believe AJ's behavior was a product of being busy, Gavin thought it strange that the change happened right after they'd gone out on their date. Was AJ offended by Gavin's kiss on his cheek? Had Gavin said something that set him off?

Gavin's dad always said that the best policy in difficult times is to talk things out, so that's what Gavin would try to do. He'd talk to AJ on their walk to soccer practice and try to clear the air. He went into his English class feeling much better now that he had a plan.

AJ Hummel-Anderson was never late. He'd told Gavin that he thought being late to meetings, classes, and social gatherings was rude and disrespectful, and Gavin had never known AJ to be tardy. Except today, when AJ never did show up to walk with Gavin to practice. When Gavin finally reached the field on his own, he saw that AJ was already there, talking to the athletic trainer. When Gavin caught AJ's eye, he smiled and nodded and kept talking to the trainer. Minutes later, Coach blew his whistle, and practice began. As they left the field, AJ started to walk with Gavin, but called to another boy ahead of the pack, "Hey! Tyler! Wait up! We need to talk about our physics project." AJ turned to Gavin as he sprinted ahead, saying, "Sorry, I have to talk to..." AJ kept walking with Tyler and his friends until they reached the dorm.

Gavin was crushed. AJ was obviously avoiding him. Something must have gone wrong on their date. He decided that the best policy was to back off and let AJ come to him when he was ready. If AJ never came around? "Well, I'll know where I stand," Gavin thought to himself.

**~oOo~**

Staying away from Gavin proved to be more difficult than AJ thought it would be. First and foremost, the boys were friends, and AJ had to stop himself from running down the hall to tell Gavin about some ridiculous thing Michael and Jacob did. Avoiding Gavin in the cafeteria and at practice wasn't easy either. The worst part was the tiny looks of bewilderment and hurt that would flash across Gavin's face when AJ walked past him or cut a conversation short. Worse yet, AJ still didn't know what to do about his feelings towards Gavin. All he knew is that he liked him, really liked him, and that he needed to talk to someone. AJ took out his phone, brought up his contacts list, and pushed the button.

"Hummel Tires and Lube. This is Burt speaking."

"Hi Grandpa," AJ said into his phone.

"Hey AJ! How are you, boy! What's going on?"

"Um, actually, I was wondering if you have time to talk. If you are busy, I'll understand, but I really need someone to talk to right now…"

"Are your classes done for the day?" Burt asked, a little bit of urgency and concern in his voice.

"Yeah."

"Start driving and I'll meet you at the house in two hours, okay? Are you alright AJ? Are you safe?"

"I'm fine Grandpa. I just need to talk."

"Well how about this," Burt said, " I'll call the front desk and give permission for you to stay with us tonight. You can get up early and drive in for class tomorrow morning. How about that?"

"That sounds perfect," AJ said. "I'll see you in a few hours." AJ hung up his phone and got up to pack a bag. He knew that everything would be much clearer when he talked with his grandpa.

**~oOo~**

Burt met AJ at the front door of the Hummel's house and immediately pulled him into a hug. In this embrace, AJ broke down and allowed a few tears to fall. Burt led him to the kitchen table, where they sat across from each other, drinking cans of Coke.

"Don't tell your dad you saw me drink this, kiddo. We'll both have hell to pay," Burt said with a laugh. AJ smiled, knowing exactly what his grandpa meant. Kurt would flip if he found out his dad was drinking soda. "So, what's going on in that brain of yours?"

AJ let out a long sigh. "I'm not sure where to begin."

"Well, let me take a stab at this. Does your turmoil have anything to do with Gavin?" Burt asked, looking into eyes that forced him to remind himself that he was talking to his grandson, not his son.

AJ opened his mouth and closed it, only to open it again. He looked at his grandpa and finally said. "Yeah, it does, and how did you know?"

Burt leaned back in his chair and chuckled. "I had a feeling something was going on. Grandma noticed it too. When you brought Gavin here a few weeks ago, we noticed that you acted a little different around him. Grandma even said your behavior reminded her of when your Daddy K brought your Daddy B home for the first time."

"Wow. So you knew something was going on before I even knew something was going on. That's amazing!" AJ said.

"Let's chalk it up to experience," Burt said, grinning. "So, kid, what's up?"

AJ went back over the last few weeks at school. Burt listened intently, and waited until his grandson said all he needed to say. "So, as you can see, I'm totally confused," AJ said.

"Well, do you want my opinion?" Burt asked, not wanting to give unneeded advice.

"Please," AJ said.

"First and foremost, I think you've probably freaked Gavin out. You've gone from being his best buddy, and maybe even more, to avoiding him, and that's gotta hurt. You might want to address that sooner than later," Burt said, raising his eyebrows and looking at AJ.

"Yeah. Looking back, that was probably a bonehead move. He probably hates me right now."

"Might be, but it's a solvable problem. Second, I think you are just scared of the unknown. You've never been in the position to give your heart to someone else and that prospect is scary, believe me. On the flip side, if you give your heart to the right person, your life can be a million times more beautiful than it already is. But once you give it away, the chances of being hurt are huge." AJ looked at his grandpa and nodded in agreement.

"Look, you are young AJ. You've never really been romantically involved with anyone so of course you are scared. The good news is that none of this has to be out of control. Don't rush into anything. The most important thing is to be friends first. I'd suggest that when you do sit down and talk to Gavin, that you decide on a game plan. Decide how you are going to handle things so that you are both comfortable. Don't make stupid decisions and don't let your feelings run all willy-nilly. Be grown up about this and I'm pretty sure the fear will fade away. Is any of this making sense?

"Total sense, Grandpa. I guess the scariest thing is that I don't want to screw this up and lose Gavin's friendship because that is what is most important to me right now."

"And if my memory serves me well, your Daddy B struggled with those same feelings. He didn't want to lose Kurt's friendship either and that caused a little bit of a struggle for them in the beginning. So I guess I can say 'Welcome to the club' huh?" Burt grinned.

AJ smiled and stood up to hug his Grandpa. "Thank you. I knew I could talk to you about this. I probably should be talking to my dads, but I'm pretty sure they'd freak out on me. And speaking of my dads, could you keep all of this on the down low? I'd like to tell them when I'm ready."

"No problem, kiddo. I totally understand. Now you'd best go call Gavin and make some apologies for your behavior this week. Grandma should be home in twenty minutes and I think we should go out for dinner tonight. Breadstix sound okay?" Burt asked.

"Sounds perfect," AJ said as he climbed the stairs.

**~oOo~**

Sitting on the bed in his dad's old room, AJ took out his phone and called Gavin. After four rings, he heard Gavin's voice.

"Hello?"

"Gavin? It's me, AJ."

"Oh. So, we're talking now?" Gavin asked, a little bitterness in his voice.

"Gav, look, I'm really sorry. I've been a complete ass and I realize that now. I'm at my grandpa and grandma's house because I really needed to straighten some things out in my mind."

"I know where you are. Michael and Jacob came to see me to find out if I knew what was wrong with you. They are really worried too, you know. They know something is up, but this whole 'shutting down' act is not fair to the people around you."

"Gavin, I'm so sorry. I was just scared and stepping out of life for a little while seemed the only thing I could do to fix things. I know now that it probably wasn't the healthiest thing to do, but…can you forgive me?"

The line was quiet for a few moments before Gavin spoke. "AJ, we are friends first, and friends don't treat each other that way. If our date, or whatever you want to call it, freaked you out, well, I'm sorry. But you should have just told me and we could go from there. Don't leave me hanging like that ever again. Am I making myself clear?" Gavin's tone made AJ sit up and pay attention. He'd really blown it and Gavin wasn't about to back down.

"Perfectly clear."

"Then I accept your apology. We have some talking to do. When are you coming back?"

"Tomorrow morning before classes. Can we meet for breakfast and maybe talk after school? No soccer practice tomorrow, remember?"

"I'll see you at breakfast then," Gavin said. "And AJ?"

"Yes?"

"I've really missed you."

"Not as much as I've missed you. Believe me. Bye Gav."

"Goodbye AJ."

**~oOo~**

**And now you can all sleep well tonight. The boys will be fine. Trust me; I know these things!**

**GirlFromTheWest xxoo**


	6. Talks and Best Men

**Here's the talk! Hope you enjoy. Read about my struggle with this chapter below.**

**~oOo~**

The next morning, AJ pulled into Dalton's parking lot at 7:00 am. He killed the engine and sat quietly for a minute, knowing that he'd truly blown it and that he had amends to make. He gathered his stuff and began walking towards the front door.

After signing himself in, he began walking towards the dining room. Scanning the tables, AJ found Gavin, sitting alone, eating and going over notes for a class. "Hey," AJ said quietly, slipping into the seat across from Gavin.

Gavin looked up from the papers and said, "Hi. You made it." His voice was quiet, not like it usually was, with a laugh ready to burst right below the surface.

"Yeah. It's amazing how light traffic is at five o'clock in the morning!" AJ said, trying to coax Gavin into smiling. "Gavin, I'm so sorry. I'm going to make this up to you and I promise I won't back away like that again, okay? It's really not like me. I mean, my dads are the kings of talking everything out. I'm not sure what came over me."

"I know," Gavin said. "Are we still on to talk this afternoon?"

"Yes!" AJ replied. "I have the perfect place for us to talk. I'll stop by your room after class, okay?"

"That's fine," Gavin said.

"Okay, I'm going to go grab some breakfast and I'll be right back, okay? Or am I disturbing your studying? I can sit somewhere else."

"Please, sit with me," Gavin said, looking AJ in the eye, and smiling, for the first time.

**~oOo~**

"It's just up here," AJ said to Gavin, as they tromped across the grounds of Dalton.

"You didn't say I'd need hiking boots," Gavin said. "How'd you find this place anyway?"

"I hid here in a massive game of hide-and-go-seek during freshman orientation. No one found me and I've never told anyone about it. I figure we can talk here and we won't be disturbed."

Moments later, the boys stood before a ring of trees. In the middle were two white marble benches, sitting face to face. "I always thought this would be the perfect place to have a conversation," AJ said, ushering Gavin into the circle and brushing off a bench so he could sit. An awkward silence developed when both boys were seated.

"Hi," AJ said, dipping his head to catch Gavin's eyes.

"Hi," Gavin said, relaxing a little and grinning.

"So, about the last few days…" AJ started.

"Please don't apologize again. I forgave you on the phone, so what's done is done. When I said we needed to talk, I wasn't asking for explanations. We're finished with that. What I think we need to do is figure some things out," Gavin said.

"I agree. I talked to my grandpa about all of this and after he told me I'd been a real jerk to you…"

"He said that?" Gavin asked.

"Well, not in so many words, but he did send me off to call you to apologize right after we finished talking. Anyway, he thought that we should talk and come up with some kind of game plan, sort of a way to see where we stand and what we are that makes both of us feel comfortable."

"I couldn't agree more," Gavin said, visibly relaxing.

"So…" AJ said

"I…" Gavin said at the same time.

"You first," Gavin said, gesturing to AJ.

"Okay." AJ took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. "Gavin, I like you. I mean I really like you, a lot. The way I feel a bout you is totally different than how I've felt about other people. I think what made me so scared is the how intense these feelings are. And they are crazy feelings, like happy and comfortable and terrified and warm and frightened and elated all at one time! But I'll tell you what I told Grandpa: my biggest worry in all of this is that I'll mess up and lose your friendship. I could never forgive myself if something I did caused you to never want to see me again. I just…I don't want to screw this up, that's all. Does that make sense?"

Gavin sat quietly for a few moments, drew in his own deep breath and began. "I really like you too. AJ, I've never done this before. I have no clue what is what. Our friendship is terribly important to me. I'm not sure how we became friends so quickly, but it just seems that things between us clicked right away. I know that when I'm with you, I'm totally at ease, I can say whatever is on my mind, and we never seem to run out of things to talk about. I love spending time just hanging out, playing soccer, or studying. What I'm trying to say is that this is all so easy, and that is what scares me most. I don't want us to jump into something more…committed without being careful and thoughtful. I feel like I'm rambling. Sorry."

"No! What you are saying makes perfect sense. When my dads tell me the story of how they met, they always emphasized that a solid friendship is the strongest foundation for a relationship. They'll be pleased to know that years of beating that message into my head has been fruitful," AJ s said, laughing.

"They are right, you know." Gavin remained serious. "That's why I think we should continue being friends for right now, knowing that the possibility for a more committed relationship is there. Let's take the pressure off ourselves and just enjoy each other's company for now."

AJ looked a bit unsure. He looked Gavin in the eye and said, "Are you sure you aren't just letting me down gently? If you don't want to..."

Gavin reached down and took both of AJ's hand in his. Finding AJ's eyes, Gavin said, "I'm not sure you know this about me, but I mean what I say. I can't stand people who play mind games, so I strive to be very clear in what I mean. If you agree, I fully intend to move towards a more committed relationship with you. I just think there needs to be a little more time to build that foundation your dads have stressed with you."

"Well, I'm just going to say it: I hope that's where we end up. All I know is that I'm happy when I'm with you. It's like we are the same, but we're totally different. None of what I'm saying is making sense! Auuuugh!" AJ ran his fingers through his hair and started to laugh.

Gavin started laughing too. "It's okay. I get what you mean. One more thing. No matter what, will you promise to be honest with me? I have to know that you'll say what needs to be said so that I can do the same. Friends or more, will you be truthful with me?"

"Totally. Even if you wear jeans that make your butt look huge or if you have food in your teeth or if you snore really loud through movies," AJ said.

"Hey, lay off my movie issues. No fair bringing that up!" Gavin said. Both boys laughed and the tension that was present at the beginning of their conversation was gone.

Standing up and offering a hand to AJ, Gavin asked, "So, are we good?"

AJ stood up and wrapped Gavin in a hug. "We're better than good." The boys stood there in silence, happy to be in each other's good graces again. They drew apart and began the trek back to the school.

"So, I'm thinking I'm going to have to tell Michael and Jacob about us. I can't see living with them and not letting them know," AJ said. "Is that okay with you?"

"That's fine. How do you think they'll take it?"

"I'm pretty sure they'll take it in stride. They've been coming home with me since freshman year. They love my dads, so I don't think they'll be all that surprised. I'll tell them after dinner tonight. Want to be there?"

"I think it should be just the three of you. I'm not sure why, but it just feels like that's how it should be."

"Fair enough," AJ said. "So, tonight I'll share how we've declared our intense 'like' for each other. I'll let you know how it goes.

**~oOo~**

All three boys in 208 were at their desks, studying for the next day's classes. At 10:00, Jacob slammed his math book shut and said, "I'm pooped. Anyone else ready to sleep?"

Michael followed by shutting his history book and picking up his lacrosse stick. "I'm done too. Man, I can't wait for our match later this week. We are going to cream Southside Prep with our secret weapon…"

"Hey guys, I have something I want to tell you," AJ said. Michael and Jacob turned and looked at their roommate. He cleared his throat and began. "I'm not quite sure how to say this, but I want you to know that Gavin is gay and that he and I might be pursuing a relationship."

Michael and Jacob were quiet for a few seconds. Jacob broke the ice and said, "Well, when you have two gay dads, I guess that's always a possibility. Good by me!" He got up from his bed and reached for his pajamas and started getting ready for bed.

"Gavin, huh? He's a nice guy. Cool! Hey, want to know what the secret weapon is for our next game? Monster masks! We're going to wear them under our lacrosse helmets to scare those Southside preps. Want to see one?" Michael asked.

"Do I have a choice?" AJ asked.

"Nope. Check it," Michael said, holding up a gory rubber mask, complete with a dangling eyeball and fake blood.

"Yeah, that ought to do the trick!" AJ said.

When all three boys were in bed and the lights were out, Jacob yawned and said, "Hey, I want the credit."

"Credit for what?" AJ asked.

"For setting you and Gavin up."

"Wait…what?"

"Yeah, for setting you up. Remember in the hall that day, when we were coming back from breakfast, having the 'soccer vs lacrosse' argument, and I said you two should get married because you were a couple of soccer pansies? That was me, setting you up!"

"Oh, I see. First, nowhere near getting married or even dating for that matter. Second, the credit is all yours, Jacob. If I ever marry Gavin, you can be the best man and we'll make sure everyone knows you were our matchmaker," AJ said.

"Hey, no fair. He had no idea what he was doing in the hall that morning. He's just using a coincidence to make it look like he was setting you up. I hardly think that makes Jacob best man material," Michael said.

"Okay, okay, fine. Two best men. How's that?" AJ asked.

"MUCH better," Michael said.

"Okay by you, Jacob?" AJ asked.

"Yup."

"Okay, we can all sleep now. Night boys."

"Night!"

AJ took out his phone and sent a quick text off to Gavin.

"_Told the boys. Fine, as I suspected. Hope you don't mind, but I've assigned the jobs of best men for our wedding. ~AJ xxoo_

Moments later, a text returned. _"What the what? And 'men' instead of 'man'? What gives?" Gav xxoo_

"_I'll explain later. Sleep well." AJ xxoo_

"_You too." Gav xxoo._

**~oOo~**

**Okay! On the road to recovery! Those of you who read Daddies can see where all of this fits in with AJ and Gavin's visit with Kurt and Blaine over Thanksgiving. **

**My struggle in writing this chapter is that the boys are coming off as really grown up, which I know isn't always realistic for juniors in high school. But we all know that AJ has been your not-so-typical kid all along, so the whole processing and talking through works for his character, right? Right? Reassure me here, dear readers!**

**Have a pleasant and sunny day!**

**GirlFromTheWest xxoo**


	7. Throwing Up and Making Plans

**Hello Dear Readers! Here's the next installment in We Found Us, in which AJ gets ill, Gavin takes care of him, and the prepare to go to the Hummel-Anderson's for the Thanksgiving holiday. Enjoy, even though I still don't own anything related to Glee. I am, however, counting down the days until September 20****th****. **

**~oOo~**

AJ was on the last paragraph of his reading assignment for US history, when his phone rang. A picture of his smiling grandfather popped up on the screen and AJ answered.

"Hi Grandpa!"

"Hey, boy! I'm calling to check in on you. How'd your talk with Gavin go?"

"It went pretty well. We decided to be friends for now, you know, make sure we are solid in the friendship department before we consider if there will be anything else. We've been hanging out with each other and our friends. Things are good," AJ said, moving from his desk to his bed.

"I'm glad to hear that. You are both smart boys and I knew everything would be fine. The other reason I called is to see if you'd like to come to dinner on Saturday night. Gavin is invited too. Gram and I would like to get to know him a little better, if that's okay with you," Burt said.

"That sounds great! I'll ask Gavin if he's free. Can I call you back later?"

"Of course. Talk to you soon. And AJ?" 

"Yeah, Grandpa?"

"I love you."

"Love you too."

AJ hung up and made his way to Gavin's room, where he knocked on the door. When he didn't answer, AJ was confused. Gavin said he'd be studying. AJ knocked again, this time louder. He heard feet hit the floor and walk towards the door.

"AJ!" Gavin said, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "I think I fell asleep while I read my history assignment. Imagine that," he deadpanned. "Come in. What's up?"

"Hey, I just got off the phone with my Grandpa. Say no if you don't want to do this, but he and my grandma would like for us to come to dinner on Saturday. What do you think?"

"We have that soccer game in the morning, but it should be over in plenty of time. Sure! It sounds fun. Do we need to bring anything?"

AJ shook his head, "No, but if we are smart boys, we'll stop along the way and buy flowers for Grandma. She loves it when 'her boys' think of her."

"Duly noted," Gavin said. "Actually, eating at your grandparents' sounds really good right now. Your grandma is a really good cook, and the food here is okay, but…"

"I totally understand," AJ said. "So, we leave after our game on Saturday? Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect," Gavin said, giving AJ a quick hug.

"Okay, I'll go call Grandpa. In the mean time, dinner with me in half an hour?" AJ asked.

"Yes. I'm really hungry tonight." Both boys paused and looked at each other. "Who am I kidding? I'm ALWAYS hungry," Gavin said, laughing.

"Stay awake and study. No more sleeping!" AJ said with a wink and he returned to his room.

**~oOo~**

"Come on, don't beat yourself up over one measly point!" AJ said, looking at Gavin as they drove to Lima.

"Yeah, I can take that advice a little easier when that one point doesn't lose the game for us," Gavin said.

"Hey, my dad always says that if a goal is scored, it's everyone's fault, not just the keeper's. The keeper is just the last line of defense. The ball had to get taken away from the offense and past a whole lot of our defenders to get to you. Does that make you feel better?" AJ asked.

"No, but I'll get over it. Thanks for trying to make me feel better. I just hate making mistakes like that," Gavin said.

"So, have you always been this competitive?" AJ asked, grinning at Gavin.

"In soccer, yes," Gavin replied. "Besides, look who's talking. I saw you slam the ground with your fists when Number 15 knocked you down. I also recall seeing a little dirty play when he had the ball a few minutes later. Have you always been a revenge-seeking center forward?" Gavin turned and smiled at AJ.

"I don't know what you are talking about," AJ said, looking straight ahead at the highway. Moments later he couldn't keep a straight face, and started to laugh. "Okay, yes, I've always held a bit of a grudge on the soccer field, but only if someone acts in an unfair manner."

"Suuuuuuuuure," Gavin drew out.

"It's a good thing I'm driving or I'd…" AJ said.

"Or you'd what?" Gavin challenged.

AJ turned to Gavin and smiled.

**~oOo~  
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Gavin pushed his chair away from the table and patted his stomach. "Carol, your food makes me homesick for my mom's cooking. This is the best meal I've had in a very long time!"

"Oh, it's nothing, sweetie. You and AJ are welcome for dinner any time. It's sure been nice having you here and getting to know you a little better. Anyone ready for dessert? It's peach cobbler," Carol said.

"I think it's safe to say peach cobbler all around!" Burt said. "Come on boys, let's clear up the dishes." In a flash, the dishes were stacked and carried to the kitchen, while Carol dished up the dessert. Gavin opened the door to the dish washer and started to load plates.

"Gavin, you don't need to do that. Besides, the dish washer isn't working quite right and Burt hasn't had a chance to look at it. The water isn't getting through like it should," Carol said.

Bending down, Gavin stuck his head into the back of the washer, immediately seeing the problem. A piece of paper, probably a label from a jar, covered the water access. He peeled it off, removed himself from the washer, and turned to Carol. "I think it will work now," Gavin said. "This paper was covering the spot where the water comes in. It happens a lot." AJ entered the kitchen with the last of the glasses and silverware just as Gavin explained the problem to Carol.

"Dude! How did you know what to look for?" AJ asked.

Gavin giggled and said, "Well, my dad owns a plumbing company and I work for him in the summer."

"So, are you, like, a plumbing genius?" AJ asked, trying to keep a straight face.

"Burt, Gavin fixed the problem with the dishwasher!" Carol exclaimed as Burt entered the kitchen, looking for dessert.

"He's a plumbing phenom!" AJ said, starting to laugh.

"That's enough out of you, chuckles," Gavin said, shooting AJ his best glare, which he wasn't able to hold for very long. "It's no big deal. Now, how about some dessert. That cobbler smells wonderful Carol!"

Burt stood behind Gavin at the table and quietly said, "Thanks for showing me up, kid. Now my wife thinks you are a knight in shining armor." Burt lightly punched Gavin on the shoulder.

Gavin smiled and continued looking forward. "Anything to help a lady in distress," he said, turning to smile at Burt, "especially when she cooks like Carol!"

**~oOo~**

"Well, O Plumbing God, we'd best hit the road if we're going to make it back to school before curfew. Grandma, best meal ever. Thank you." AJ got up and went to hug his grandma.

"AJ, you look flushed and you feel kind of warm." Carol put her hand up to AJ's forehead. "You've got a temp. Are you feeling okay?"

"I feel a little warm, but I think I just ate too much. I'll be fine," AJ said.

"Well, let me take your temperature before you leave…"

"Don't bother, Gram. I'll be fine. I promise," AJ said, pulling away from Carol's grasp.

"Well, if you start to feel worse, make sure you rest and drink fluids. Go to the nurse too." Turning to Gavin, Carol said, "Gavin, I'm going to trust that you'll get AJ to the nurse if he needs help. He's like his dad and his Uncle Finn; they have to be on their deathbeds before they'll even consider seeing someone."

"I promise Carol. I can be very convincing when I need to be," Gavin said.

"Psssh," AJ scoffed. "I'd like to see you try and make me…"

"Don't push me, Hummel-Anderson," Gavin said, grinning.

"Whatever, O'Keefe. Okay, let's get going. Bye Grandma and Grandpa. Thanks again for dinner!" AJ called as the boys walked down the driveway. Burt and Carol waved until AJ's car was out of sight.

Ten miles from Lima, Gavin looked at AJ and said, "Seriously, you look really flushed. Are you feeling okay?"

AJ was quiet for a moment, realizing that he was starting to feel nauseous. "Uh, no. I don't feel okay. Do you mind driving?"

"I thought you'd never ask. I'm sorry you feel crappy, but I'm really excited to drive your car!" Gavin said. At that moment he realized that AJ was really not feeling well because he didn't even attempt a smart remark in return. After bringing the car to a stop, both boys unbuckled and exited the car. As they met up at the trunk, AJ quickly leaned towards the edge of the road's shoulder and threw up. Gavin was immediately at his side, keeping AJ's hair away from his face and rubbing AJ's back.

"Okay, I guess I'm sick," AJ said. "God, I hate throwing up."

"There's nothing worse," Gavin said as he moved towards the car and returned with his water bottle, some tissues, and a tin of mints. "Here. Rinse and have a mint. That will help." After AJ was done with the water bottle, Gavin dampened a few tissues and said, "Look at me." When AJ faced him, Gavin dabbed AJ's mouth, making sure any traces of vomit were gone. "Better?" Gavin asked.

"A little, but I still feel gross," AJ said, putting his hand on his forehead.

"Let's get you to school," Gavin said, helping AJ back to the car and helping him buckle into the passenger seat. "Here, use my sweatshirt as a pillow," Gavin said. Gavin went around the car and slid into the driver's seat. As soon as he was buckled in, AJ leaned on the console between them, resting his head as close to Gavin as he could get. Once on the road, Gavin rested his arm lightly on AJ's shoulder and ran his fingers through AJ's curls as he slept. "Awe, sweetie," he whispered, as AJ settled in. Gavin looked at the precise moment that AJ's mouth turned up into a small grin. The rest of the way to Dalton, AJ slept while Gavin drove and kept watch.

**~oOo~**

AJ's eyes flew open. Immediately he realized that he was not in his bedroom at home in New York and he was not in his dorm room at Dalton. Sitting up slightly made his head swim with pain, so he quickly lay back down. Turning to his left he spied a surfing poster and he immediately realized he was in Gavin's room. AJ heard a stirring from the floor. Moments later, Gavin's head popped up over the edge of the bed.

"Hey," he whispered, brushing curls back from AJ's forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Still crappy. How come I don't remember getting here?" AJ asked. "Did you slip something into my water bottle, Gavin O'Keefe?" Gavin could see AJ's smile in the dark.

"It took an entire army to get you from the car to my room. Thank heaven Michael and Jacob are like pack mules. Basically, they muscled you over their shoulders and carried you up here."

"Great," AJ said, "I'm sure I'll never hear the end of that one."

"I told them you should stay here with me so that they don't risk exposure. They brought your pajamas over…"

"Oh god. I don't even want to know how I got into my pajamas," AJ said.

"Don't worry. I kicked the boys out and I helped you. You were actually quite cooperative." Gavin smiled. He held his hand to AJ's forehead and said, "You feel cooler than you did when we got here. Open up." Gavin grabbed for the thermometer on his bedside table. He put it under AJ's tongue and waited for the beep.

"How's it look?" AJ asked.

"You are closer to the normal range, but still a little warm. I'm guessing your fever has broken and you are on the mend."

"My head really hurts. Can I have some water?" AJ asked.

"Of course," Gavin replied, getting up to retrieve a water bottle. AJ drank half and then reclined again. "Better?"

"Yes."

"Okay, AJ, try to sleep. Wake me up if you need anything," Gavin said as he returned to his pile of blankets and pillows on the floor. Gavin assumed that AJ had drifted back to sleep until he heard a whisper.

"Gav?"

"Yes?"

"I feel gross."

"I know sweetie."

"Will you…will you come sleep with me?"

Gavin paused for a few seconds and said, "Of course I will." AJ shifted towards the wall, making room. Gavin climbed in next to AJ, wrapping his arm around him and allowing AJ's head to settle into Gavin's shoulder. AJ sighed and relaxed.

"Gavvie?" AJ asked. Gavin smiled in the dark.

"Yes AJ."

"Thank you."

"Anything for you AJ." Gavin rubbed AJ's back and said, "You know what? There's only one other person who gets to call me Gavvie and that's my little sister Siobhan. As of…" Gavin paused and looked at the illuminated face of his watch, "…three hours ago, she's now four years old. She's my favorite person I the world, but you know what?" AJ lifted his head a bit and looked at Gavin, questioningly. "She's going to have to share that title with you from now on." AJ smiled and Gavin kissed his forehead. Both boys fell into a comfortable sleep.

**~oOo~**

AJ awoke the next morning, feeling much better. He could hear Gavin talking to someone in the bathroom, and he didn't sound happy at all. A few minutes later, Gavin emerged, placing his cell phone on his desk.

"Hey! You're awake! How are you feeling?"

"Much better," AJ said, sitting up. "Are you okay?"

"Eh, just some family stuff. Do you feel up to some breakfast? I'm guessing you are hungry after throwing up last night."

AJ groaned, "Don't remind me. And yeah, I am a little hungry. Do you want to talk about the family stuff? I don't want to pry, but I'll listen if you need to talk," AJ said, taking Gavin's hand and making room for him to sit on the bed.

Gavin sighed. "That was my dad. See, last spring, my Nana Kathleen, the grandma who lives in Ireland, died. We all flew in for her wake and her funeral. There are still things that need to be dealt with, like her will and selling her house. My parents have decided to fly to Europe over Thanksgiving break. They want me to go, but I'll have to miss an additional week of school. I really don't want to do that. My mom said I could go with my grandparents who live here in town, but they'll be flying to California to spend two weeks with my cousins and I really don't want to do that. So, I guess I'll be spending the holiday here at Dalton."

"Nonsense. You'll come home with me. It's probably time for you to meet my dads anyway. I'm sure it will be fine. Let's call them this afternoon and check. In fact," AJ got a scheming grin on his face, "I have a perfect plan to make my dads a little bit crazy."

"Well obviously, you are feeling better!" Gavin said, grinning. "But seriously, I can stay here. I don't want to impose."

"Nope. Won't hear of if. Unless you don't want to come home with me…"

"No! No, no, no! I just…I'd love to go home with you and meet your dads," Gavin said, looking AJ in the eyes.

"It's settled then! Let's call them after lunch. And I'd really like to catch Michael and Jacobs's lacrosse game today. They are using monster masks to scare the other team." AJ said.

"They truly are an unending source of free entertainment, aren't they?" Gavin said. "Come on, let's go get breakfast."

**~oOo~**

Gavin sat across from AJ at a burger place in town. It was noon on Sunday, and the boys were having lunch before attending Michael and Jacob's lacrosse game. After ordering, AJ took out his cell phone and called his dad, Blaine's, cell phone. Blaine answered on the fourth ring.

"Hey son! Just about ready to come home for the holiday?"

"Hi Dad! And yes. Actually, I'm dying for meals cooked by you and Dad. The food at Dalton sucks this year," AJ said.

"So, how's school?" Blaine asked.

"It's okay. The weather just turned a bit cold, so most times we're stuck inside. That makes Michael and Jacob really antsy. Do you know what parquor it?" AJ asked.

"Oh my gosh, yes! It was really popular when I was a young kid. People would set up the craziest stunts, film them, and the put them on youtube. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I walked in on Michael and Jacob jumping from desk to bed to windowsill to couch, all the time screaming 'Parquor!' They looked like freaking spider monkeys swinging through the trees!"

Blaine laughed, remembering observing Wes and David doing the same thing when the boys were sophomores and juniors. "I understand, buddy. When Wes and David got that way, I'd go to the commons to study. And after Daddy transferred, I'd just go hang out with him. Honestly, living with roommates can be a pain!"

"No kidding. I'm glad I'm not the only one that gets annoyed by roommates! I used to think it was because I'm an only child and how I never had siblings to deal with, but now I'm leaning towards believing it's just because Michael and Jacob are totally insane," AJ said. "I called because I have a question. Do we have any big plans for Thanksgiving break this year?"

"No. The plan is to stay home for Thanksgiving and then travel over winter break. Southern California and Disneyland, remember?" Blaine said.

"Right, right. Well, I have a question for you then. Is it okay for me to bring a friend home for the holiday?"

"Certainly! Your friends are always welcome. What's the deal? Is this friend far from home?"

"Yeah, sort of. My friend's parents have to travel to Ireland to settle some issues surrounding my friend's grandmother's death. The trip will take longer than our break and my friend doesn't really want to miss any school, so my friend is opting to stay stateside. So, this is okay?" AJ asked.

"Of course. Who's coming home with you AJ?" Blaine asked.

"I'd rather keep my friend's identity secret for now, Dad. I will tell you that this person is really important to me, as in, I really like this person."

"Come on AJ, spill!" Blaine said, his interest piqued.

"Nope. You and Dad will just have to be surprised! Oh, and I've already arranged to take a shuttle from the airport, so don't worry about meeting our plane. We should be at the house around noon the Tuesday before Thanksgiving," AJ said.

"Okay AJ. Well…I guess…uh…we'll await your return home with bated breath? I'm kind of confused as to why you won't tell us who is coming home with you, but that's fine. I'm assuming it will all make sense when you get here." There was a slight pause and Blaine asked, "AJ, boy or girl?"

"Not telling, Daddy B, not telling! This will certainly answer a question that you and Daddy K have always had! Good night Dad. Talk to you soon and see you in a few weeks!"

"AJ, have I ever told you that you are kind of a pain in my side sometimes?" Blaine said, laughing.

"Aw, Dad, how boring would your life be if you didn't have me around?" Blaine could feel AJ smiling through the phone.

"Good point. Bye, son."

"Bye Daddy."

Gavin felt uneasy about AJ's scheme. "Do you think they'll be disappointed?" Gavin asked.

"Of course not. I'm just messing with them. They are going to love you. Trust me on this, okay?" AJ said, looking Gavin right in the eyes and grinning at him.

"Okay, but for the record, I don't think you have to be so extreme in my introduction to your family!"

"Duly noted and again, don't worry!" AJ said, standing up from the table and reaching for a hand. "Now come on. We're going to miss the lacrosse match. Watching Michael and Jacob tear up the field and use their animal-like behavior to make their opponents run screaming the other direction never gets old!"

**~oOo~**

**It's just about time for AJ to take Gavin home to New York! I can't wait! Do you recognize that conversation between Blaine and AJ? **

**Until we meet again, take good care. **

**GirlFromTheWest xxoo**


	8. Meet the Dads

**Hello Dear Readers! Yes, it's been a horribly long time, and yes, I apologize. For this next installment, I sure hope you have read Daddies, because the ending parallels the events of that story and gives you a good frame of reference. Do dig up Daddies and read! Read it, I tell you! **

**This is a short, kind of fluffy chapter with a couple of sweet moments thrown in. I hope you enjoy. I do not own Glee, even though I've been working on that. The Klaine in Season 3, Epi 1 made me swoon. SWOON, I tell you. **

**Enjoy! **

**~oOo~**

AJ and Gavin sat at the breakfast table, quizzing each other for the physics exam they had in two hours. Gavin leaned back in his chair, flipped his book closed, and sighed.

"My brain is full. If the info isn't in there by now, it's a lost cause."

AJ laughed and closed his book too. "I'm with you there. I'm either going to be brilliant or a total idiot on this test. Come what may, I say!" he said, sounding an awful lot like Blaine.

"Did you know that one of the things I like about you is that you live life on the edge?" Gavin said, grinning. "You, August Hummel-Anderson, are one wild rapscallion!"

"Ooooh, good word, rapscallion!" AJ said, standing and offering a hand to Gavin. "Come on, we'd better head to first period."

Right before reaching their respective classrooms, AJ turned to Gavin and said, "Hey, I almost forgot. The shuttle to the airport will pick us up at my grandparents' house at 7:30am the day we fly out. I was thinking that maybe we should just leave after classes the day before and stay over with Grandma and Grandpa. I'm sure they'll be fine with it."

"If they don't mind, that would be great. Getting up early enough to get to Lima to catch an early shuttle doesn't sound appealing at all," Gavin said. "Let me know either way."

AJ put his arm around Gavin and gave him a hug. "Have a good class," he whispered. For some reason, that low whisper made Gavin blush. He looked shyly at AJ, realizing that in the past weeks, he'd grown to…what? Like AJ? Like wasn't a strong enough descriptor. He didn't think he could say he was in love with AJ, but moments like these made him remember that their lives were headed in the same direction and that someday soon, it was possible they'd be dating.

"You too," Gavin said, smiling. With a glance over his shoulder, Gavin turned and headed into Mr. Madison's American Lit class. AJ was left with a goofy grin on his face as he watched Gavin walk away. The bell rang and told AJ that he was, once again, late for Ms. Galloway's poetry class.

"Crap," he said to himself, as he tried to enter the class under his teacher's radar.

"Mr. Hummel-Anderson, don't you even dare to think that I don't see you entering my class late. Again. I'll see you after school for an hour detention today. Clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," AJ replied. In his mind, an hour after school was way worth those final moments he spent in the hall with Gavin. A smile crossed his face, as he took out his book and read the assigned poem of the day.

**~oOo~**

"Okay, boys, do you have everything for your trip?" Carol asked as she walked up the stairs towards Kurt's old room.

"Yeah, we do, Grandma. Besides, we're heading home, so anything we forgot will probably be there!" AJ said.

"True, true. Make sure you set an alarm so you have time for breakfast. I'll see you in the morning!" Carol gave each of the boys a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "It's been wonderful having you boys around!"

"Night, Grandma," both boys chorused, and then laughed.

"Good night AJ. Good night Gavin. Sleep well."

"Your grandparents are the best," Gavin said, looking at AJ.

"Yeah, I'm pretty lucky. Hey, want to watch a movie? I know my dad's stash is around here somewhere," AJ asked.

"Actually, I'm kind of tired, so I think I'll hit the hay. Do you mind?" Gavin asked.

"Not at all. It's probably a good idea. Need anything before you go to sleep? Water? Blanket?"

"No, nothing," Gavin said, "except maybe a hug?" AJ smiled and opened his arms wide. Gavin stepped inside and the boys wrapped their arms around each other. Both sighed contentedly and squeezed a little tighter. When they released, they found themselves face to face. At the same time, both boys leaned in and their lips met in a gentle kiss. Seconds later, they pulled apart and smiled at each other, foreheads touching.

"Was that okay?" AJ whispered.

"Totally okay," Gavin smiled. "I guess I'd best be going," Gavin said as he grabbed his overnight bag. "Finn's room is down the hall on the left?" he asked.

"Yep. Just past the bathroom." AJ replied. Both boys walked to the door. AJ stopped in the doorframe and watched Gavin walk down the hall. Before entering Finn's old room, Gavin turned and smiled at AJ and gave a little wave. AJ blushed and waved back, heading back into the room and falling backwards on the bed. He could not erase the smile from his face, even as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

**~oOo~**

"Tell me again, why you are traveling in your Dalton uniforms?" Burt asked the boys at the breakfast table the next morning.

"It's all part of the master plan to make my dads confused," AJ said, grinning into his hot cocoa.

Burt laughed. "Well, you master plan has already worked, because your Daddy Kurt called here a few days ago asking all kinds of questions…"

AJ interrupted, "You didn't tell him about Gavin being the one to come home with me, did you? Because that would ruin everything and then nothing will…"

"Calm down AJ! I didn't tell Kurt a thing. Remember I promised you I'd let you do the talking?" Burt said.

"Thank you Grandpa. I was just worried there."

"Well, no need. Your dad probably hasn't slept all week and he's probably driven Blaine crazy. Have fun at home!" Burt said with a laugh.

"Crazy is right where I want them!" AJ said. Looking at the clock, and then at Gavin, he said, "The shuttle will be here in fifteen minutes. I'm going to go brush my teeth and grab my bag. Want me to get yours?" 

"I brought mine down this morning. I'm ready when you are!" Gavin said.

Fifteen minutes later, the boys were properly sent off by the grandparents, and they were tucked away in a shuttle van. They talked quietly on the thirty minute ride to the airport. After they checked in and went through security, they found their gate and waited.

"AJ, I'm really excited to meet your dads, but I'm worried about the whole "hiding-who-I-am-until-we-get-there" thing. Are you sure they'll be okay with this?" Gavin asked.

"Gav, don't worry! My dads have a good sense of humor. And even if they are mad at me for messing with them, they'll get over it quickly. As for you," AJ said, grabbing Gavin's hand and squeezing it, "they are going to love you. Trust me on this, okay?" AJ grinned, catching Gavin's eyes.

"Okay, I'll trust you!" Gavin said, as the first boarding announcement was made.

"That's us!" AJ said, as he stood up and gathered his belongings.

"AJ, they just called for the first class passengers. I don't think it's our turn," Gavin said.

"Uh, sorry I didn't tell you, but I made a little upgrade to our tickets. We're sitting in first class. I hope that's okay," AJ said, turning and smiling at Gavin.

"Dude! I've never flown first class! My mom and dad always do, but they make us kids fly steerage. They always say that we can fly first class when we are working and paying for our own tickets!" AJ said.

"Well, I thought it would be a little treat. I can always change it back if you want me…"

"No! No, we're good!" Gavin said. The boys began moving towards the loading counter, where they checked their tickets, and entered the hallway that would take them to the plane. Their seats were in the last row on the left side of the first class section. Once settled, they waited for the rest of the plane to load. As the plane began to taxi, Gavin grabbed AJ's hand and squeezed. When the squeeze didn't stop, AJ looked at Gavin.

"Are you okay? AJ asked.

"Um, taking off isn't my favorite thing. Kind of babyish, I know. Once we're in the air, I'm fine. I'm fine with landing too. It's just the takeoff that freaks me out a bit."

"And what does this freak out look like, if you don't mind me asking?" AJ grinned.

"Well, first I jump up and rip all my clothes off…kidding!" Gavin said, laughing. "Usually, I just hold on to one of my sibling's hands and I'm fine. If you don't mine, I'll hold on to yours…" 

"Totally fine. Glad to be useful," AJ said. "Just relax, okay? It will be fine."

"Thanks. I know." Gavin leaned his head back on the headrest, closing his eyes, and relaxing. AJ felt him squeeze a little harder as the plane's nose lifted. AJ took his other hand and rubbed it over the top of AJ's hand to soothe him. Minutes later, when the plane leveled out a bit and approached cruising altitude, Gavin visibly relaxed and told AJ, "Thanks. You really helped." AJ did a quick side to side glance, checking to see if the coast was clear before he lifted Gavin's hand to his lips and kissed it softly.

"No problem."

**~oOo~**

"Thank you," Gavin said to the shuttle driver, after he placed the boys' luggage on the Hummel-Anderson front porch. The driver thanked Gavin for the tip and made his way back to the van.

"Ready?" AJ asked. Gavin nodded his head. "Remember to stand behind me so my dads can't see you. I'll step aside and…"

"I've got it AJ," Gavin said.

"Okay! Showtime!" AJ reached out and rang the bell for his own home. Moments later, the door flew open and Kurt and Blaine stood there, with anxious looks on their faces. "Hi Dads!" AJ said. Just as he was about to step aside and introduce Gavin, a loud popping noise could be heard from inside the house.

"THE DISHWASHER!" Blaine and Kurt yelled together. They immediately turned and ran into the house. AJ grinned and grabbed Gavin's hand and followed them into the kitchen, where the vent on the sink for the dishwasher had blown its top and an Old Faithful-like geyser was spraying the ceiling. Blaine attempted to cover the column with his hands and with a bowl, but both attempts caused water to shoot horizontally instead of vertically. Kurt's voice got higher and higher as each attempt to stop the water failed. AJ pulled out his phone and hit his Grandpa Burt's number, hoping for some fast plumbing tips.

Gavin took in the scene and moved into action. From his work with his dad, he knew that he had to shut off the water supply to the dishwasher, which was under the sink. Kurt stood right in front of the cabinet doors, so Gavin knelt down on the floor and nudged him to the right. After opening the door, Gavin stuck his head in the space, cut the water source, and listened as the geyser slowed. Soon, all he could hear was water dripping from every flat surface to the floor. Bodies shuffled as he backed his way out of the cabinet.

Standing up, Gavin smoothed the front of his drenched Dalton jacket, brushed his hair from his eyes, and started to laugh. Kurt covered his surprised mouth with his hand and gasped. Blaine started a grin that turned into a full-fledged smile.

AJ stood off to the side, his eyes moving from his parents to Gavin and back. "Dad, Dad, meet Gavin."

**~oOo~**

**Now I feel badly because there doesn't seem to be much to this chapter. Think of it as a bridge, from one wonderful land to another. The bridge is made of candy and the river flowing beneath it is raspberry punch. And the birds in the air fly through marshmallow clouds and…getting carried away, I know. It happens frequently and most times, before I even know what's going on. Take care and sweet dreams!**

"


	9. Big Decisions

**Hello Dear Ones! I wouldn't be surprised if you thought I'd fallen off the earth. More busy times in my profession, so sadly, I cannot promise regular updates. Regardless, here's the next story of our boys. If you'll remember correctly, they'd just arrived at the Hummel-Anderson residence and the whole dishwasher-blowing-up-flooding-the-kitchen episode from _Daddies_ was just beginning to take place. I did lift some of the dialogue from _Daddies_ to help the stories fit together. I hope you don't feel cheated. This is another place to say, "If you haven't read _Daddies_, get thee there and read. This chapter might make more sense."**

**Glee is not mine. Funny, I read that Ryan Murphy is working on a pilot for CBS about a gay couple and their surrogate. Hmmm. Do you think he'll begin each episode with a disclaimer that goes, "I do not own _Daddies_…"**

**Enjoy!**

**~oOo~**

"Welcome to the Hummel-Anderson home!" AJ said, after pulling Gavin into the laundry room and rolling his eyes. "Here's the basket with the dog towels. Grab as many as you can." AJ filled his arms with an assortment of tattered towels and stepped out of the way so Gavin could do the same.

"You didn't tell me you have a dog!" Gavin said.

"I don't. Why did you think I did?"

"You just called these 'dog towels.' Wouldn't you need a dog to have dog towels?" Gavin asked.

"Huh. Guess so! They've just always been called that. Again, welcome to the Hummel-Anderson home, where everything is just a little bit off kilter! Come on, let's get these to the kitchen."

As AJ and Gavin made their way down the hall, AJ noticed his dads bring their conversation to a screeching halt. He smiled, knowing exactly the topic of their conversation. He loved nothing more than messing with his dads' minds, so he played along. "Here are the towels. And while we're here, why do we call these dog towels?"

"That's your father's name for them. I'd have just called them rags, but dog towels stuck. Care to explain, Blaine?" Kurt asked.

"Papa and Nana Anderson have always had several dogs at a time, and when you have a lot of dogs, there are lots of muddy messes to clean up. Worn out towels became dog towels. The end," Blaine said with a laugh.

"Not a very exotic story, Dad," AJ said, handing the rags over to his dad. Kurt took the load from Gavin's arms.

"Why don't you go help Gavin settle into the guest room and then show him around?" Blaine suggested. "We'll clean this up."

"And since we survived the flood, I vote for dinner out tonight. How about a meal at Tables and Chairs in the village?" Kurt asked.

"Yes!" Blaine and AJ said at the same time. AJ turned to Gavin and said, "You'll love it. They have the most amazing pasta ever! Come on, let's get your stuff." The boys headed towards the entry to pick up Gavin's luggage and then down the long hallway towards the guest room.

"I hope you don't mind staying here. There's plenty of space in my room, but, you know, my dads might get a little wigged out if we stayed in the same room," AJ said.

"Not a problem. My parents would do the same. So, ready to show me around the ranch?" Gavin asked.

"The ranch would be at my Nana and Papa's house. This," AJ said, grinning," is simply the mansion." Both boys laughed as the walked out the back door and onto the snow covered patio.

"Cool back yard!" AJ commented. "Is that a soccer goal down there?"

"Yep. Daddy B built it for me for my 8th birthday. I'd offer to scrimmage you, but the last time I tried that in the snow, things didn't work out so well," AJ said.

"Excuses, excused," Gavin teased. "A pool too, huh? Pretty fancy Mr. Hummel-Anderson."

"Yeah, especially since we can only use it a few months out of the year!" AJ moved closer to Gavin and noticed that he was rubbing his hands together to keep them warm. "Here," AJ said, extending his hand to Gavin. "Hold this."

Gavin grinned and said, "Thanks. That's nice. How in the world do your hands stay so warm?"

"Warm hands, cold heart?" AJ asked.

"I don't think that is possible," Gavin said, standing a little closer to AJ. AJ leaned his head on Gavin's shoulder and sighed.

"I'm really glad your parents ditched you for Thanksgiving break so that you could be here with me," AJ said, turning his head slightly to look at Gavin.

"Well, while I'd rather not think in terms of being ditched by my own family, I'm glad too. Your dads are great. I can see you in both of them."

"Looks or personality?" AJ asked.

"Both," Gavin replied, "but I think you look more like Blaine. Must be that wild hair!"

"Again with the hair?" AJ asked, lifting his head and placing his hands on his hips.

"And right there, you sound and act like Kurt! You are like the perfect blend of both of them!" Gavin said.

"We'd better get inside before we turn into human popsicles. I love it when it snows here! We should take a walk later." Both boys turned to go back into the house.

**~oOo~**

After another great meal at their favorite restaurant, Blaine told the boys they needed to stop at the grocery store before heading home. AJ looked Gavin, who looked back and nodded.

"Dads, we're not far from home. Mind if Gavin and I walk the rest of the way?"

"Will you be warm enough?" Kurt asked. "The snow is melting, but it's still kind of chilly."

"I think we'll be fine," Gavin said, pulling a pair of gloves out of his pocket.

"Well, I'm okay with it if you are," Blaine said, looking at Kurt. "See you at the house!" Both boys waved and headed to the sidewalk that would eventually deliver them to the Hummel-Anderson home. Just as they turned from the parking lot to the walkway, Gavin placed his hand in AJ's. They walked carefully, avoiding some of the soupy puddles that were formed as the temperature increased slightly and the snow melted.

"So, surfer boy, what do you think of the snow?" AJ asked

"This is nice," Gavin said. "We don't get a whole lot of snow in California. I remember a freak snowstorm when I was eight, but other than that, nothing. This isn't the first time I've seen snow, you know. My family skis at Tahoe and up at Whistler in Canada."

"I know. I'm just teasing. Gav, I hope you are having fun. My dads can be a little intense. I'm sure they are going to corner me later and want to know the scoop on us," AJ said quietly.

"Us?"

"Yeah, they are going to ask if we are dating, I just know it."

"What are you going to tell them?"

"Well, after I play dumb for a while (that drives them crazy!) I'll tell them the truth. I'll tell them that we're getting to know each other slowly and that we'll see from there. If that's what we're still doing…" AJ turned and looked at Gavin.

"Yes! Yes, I mean, if that's still in your plans…"

"Totally in my plans," AJ said, squeezing Gavin's hand. "Okay, brace yourself for movie night with my dads. First of all, we'll probably be watching some wonky classic from the 1970's. They have a constant conversation about the 'theatrics' of the production, so be ready for that," AJ said.

"I really miss movie nights with my family, so this will be nice," Gavin said.

"Oh, and there are the famous Blaine Brownies as well. I smelled them baking when we got home," AJ said.

"Yes!" Gavin said, raising his left fist. "Wow, we're here already. Thanks for the walk" Gavin leaned over and planed a kiss on AJ's cheek. AJ turned to Gavin and smiled.

The boys turned into the Hummel-Anderson driveway, stomped the snow from their boots, and made their way to the family room for movie night.

**~oOo~**

"Lemme guess," Gavin said, rubbing his eyes. "I fell asleep. How long did I last this time?"

AJ snorted, "I think you broke a record and lasted twenty whole minutes before you conked out! Good job! You'll be pleased to hear that you didn't snore this time! That's progress!"

"I still don't believe you about the snoring part," Gavin said, sitting up and running his hands through his hair. "Would it be rude to excuse myself and head to bed? I'm kind of tired, for some reason."

"That's not rude at all!" Kurt insisted. "You've had a long day. Make yourself at home and sleep as long as you'd like in the morning. No worries!"

"Well, I'll be off to bed then. Thank you, Kurt and Blaine, for having me over. I'm having a great time and I'm glad AJ talked me in to tagging along." Gavin then turned to AJ and fist bumped him once again, saying, "Good night, man. See you in the morning."

As soon as Gavin left, AJ knew that he'd be under attack. He decided to take matters into his own hands. Turning to his dads, he said, "Before you two start in, I want to let you know a few things. However, this talk will go better with the leftover brownies. Last one to the kitchen is a rotten egg!" AJ easily breezed past his dads, reaching the platter on the counter first. AJ wolfed down two brownies and patted his stomach in satisfaction. "I think you'll need to bake some of those and send them back to Dalton with me!" he said to Blaine. "Better yet, why don't you bake a batch a week and send them to me and then I can…"

"Okay AJ. Spill," Blaine said.

"Spill what?" AJ said, grinning.

"We know you are toying with us," Kurt said, "and you are starting to annoy the heck out of me. What's with you and Gavin?"

"Why, whatever do you mean?" AJ said, faking a confused look on his face, a grin forming after he could no longer pretend to be serious.

"AJ!" Kurt and Blaine said at the same time.

"Okay, okay, fine. So, do you like him?" AJ asked.

"He's a darling," Kurt responded. "In fact, I like him so much, I've considered adopting him to replace you if you don't cooperate with us."

"Would you really do that? Because if you did, I think you'd permanently damage me at this crucial point in my mid-to-late adolescent development. Abandonment issues account for 75% of all cases of…"

"Chiiiiild," Blaine drew the word out, letting AJ know that he was skating on thin ice.

"Fine," AJ said with a sigh, "what do you want to know. Wait. Let me guess. First, you want to know if Gavin is gay. The answer to that would be yes. He said he's known since he was really young. His family is pretty chill about it, as are all of his friends at home. He said he never had to come out because everyone always knew. Apparently, the West Coast is a lot more relaxed and liberal than we folk out in O-hi-o. Who knew? Which, if you think about it, is a strange location for a school as open as Dalton. But I digress. The second thing you are dying to know is if we are dating. Am I right?" Kurt and Blaine remained silent, trying to not look too anxious.

"And the answer to that would be…no…" Kurt really wanted to remain neutral, but his emotions, as always, were clearly displayed on his face.

"But I was sure…" Kurt began.

"Huh. I would have guessed…" Blaine said.

"Please! Let me finish! You know, it's a wonder I ever learned to talk at all growing up in this house. Honestly, you to jump in and interrupt all the time. Are you ready to listen?" AJ asked. Kurt and Blaine stopped talking and looked at their son. "As I was saying, we aren't dating, yet. Is it a possibility in the near future? Yes. I really like Gavin and he likes me. We understand each other and it feels like we've been friends a lot longer than we have. So for right now, we're just taking it slow. We hang out with our friends a lot. Sometimes we go out for coffee and, yes, we've been out on a few nights that we are forced to call 'dates.' As for anything official or exclusive, we're just not there yet. Neither of us is interested in rushing into anything. So there. Are you happy?"

Kurt and Blaine stood silently in the kitchen, looking at their son with admiration and pride. Kurt broke the silence, saying, "Blaine, how did we raise such a wise kid?" Tears started to form in Kurt's eyes. He looked over at Blaine, who was equally amazed at his son's mature outlook.

"He got it all from you, baby," Blaine said to Kurt, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "So, do your roommates know?"

"Yeah, I told them after Gavin and I confessed our passionate like for each other. Michael said, 'Cool!' and Jacob said, 'Well, I guess if you have two gay dads, that's always a possibility. Hey, wanna see the zombie masks we're going to wear under our lacrosse helmets to freak out the team we play next week?' And that's about as deep as our conversations go," AJ said with a sigh.

"So you're feeling okay about everything?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah, Dad. Everything is great. And because I know you both are dying to know, yes, we've kissed, but it wasn't anything hot and heavy. Just once, a quick, between-friends kiss."

"AJ, why would you assume we wanted to know that?" Kurt asked.

"Give it up, Dad. I know you better than that."

"AJ? We love you. And thanks," Kurt said.

"For what?"

"For keeping your old dads in the loop. You know you can always talk to us, right? We've kind of been down this path before."

"I know. Thanks for being as cool as you've always been. So, if we're done here, I'm heading upstairs to bed," AJ said, giving each of his dads a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Night, Daddies."

"Good night," Kurt and Blaine said in unison.

**~oOo~**

The rest of the holiday flew by, with a Thanksgiving meal, watching Kurt perform on stage in the city, and "the talk" that Kurt and Blaine insisted upon when they found out that AJ and Gavin were considering dating.

Far too soon, Blaine and Kurt delivered the boys to the airport for their flight back to Ohio. Kurt felt only a fraction better when AJ reminded him that they'd be together for the holidays in just a few weeks. Plans we made to spend time in Disneyland with Gavin and Gavin said his family would like to have the Hummel-Anderson's over for dinner on Christmas Eve. The boys were reminded that Grandpa Burt would meet them at baggage claim in Ohio. After one last round of hugs, the boys were sent on their way to go through security and to find their gate.

After boarding and settling in, Gavin said, "AJ, thank you. The holiday with your family was nothing short of wonderful. Thanks for including me in my orphaned state!"

"We really didn't do anything we don't normally do. You got a good taste of life in my family. My dads really like you. They told me they'd consider adopting you if I didn't work out as their son," AJ said, laughing.

"We're you that bad?" Gavin asked, smiling.

"They said it the night you went to bed after the movie. I told you they'd grill me! I'm sorry about 'the talk.' I have to say, it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be…"

Gavin cut AJ off. "I totally get where they are coming from. They only did it because they love you…"

"And you, as it appears! It's entirely possible that they love you more than they love me" AJ said.

"I'm serious, AJ. They just want us to be smart and there's nothing wrong with that," Gavin said.

"You are right. Sorry to make light. It was a nice thing for them to do. Even if parts were a bit embarrassing."

"No worse than a health class at Dalton. I'd rather talk birds and bees with your dads than Mr. Green. Kinda creepy," Gavin said. Just then, the plane began to pull away from the tunnel. AJ was not surprised when Gavin's hand found his way into his.

"Close your eyes and relax. We'll be in the air in a few minutes," AJ whispered into Gavin's ear. AJ watched Gavin relax a bit and grin. AJ stroked the back of Gavin's hand as the plane taxied and began to lift off. "You okay?" AJ asked quietly. Gavin nodded his head.

"Thank you. You make this okay," Gavin said, opening his eyes and looking directly into AJ's.

And it was at that moment that both boys knew, knew for sure where they were headed. AJ was the first to smile and speak. "So, are we going to do this?"

"Depends," Gavin replied, "what does 'this' mean?"

"Parachuting. I thought you knew…you didn't forget your chute, did you?" AJ asked, breaking out in that laughter that made his eyes squint. "Okay, I'm kidding. Are we dating?"

Gavin was quiet for a few seconds. He turned, took both of AJ's hands in his, looked him in the eyes and said, "I'd like nothing more. We're on!"

Unbeknownst to the boys, the woman sitting in front of them in first class smiled and silently clapped her hands. She'd been eavesdropping on the boys since she boarded. "Ain't young love grand?" she asked the stranger next to her. He nodded and went back to his newspaper.

**~oOo~**

And there we have it. It's official! These boys are just so darned cute!

We'll talk soon, you and me. I've already got the next story a-brewing.

GirlFromTheWestxxoo

"


	10. Fight

**Hello dear readers! In my attempt to be timelier in my updates, I present you with the next installment of We Found Us. Brace yourselves. I mean really, whose life is all sunshine and Smurf kisses? Time for a little conflict between the boys. **

**Nothing Glee related is mine. Blahbity blahbity blah, blah, blah.**

**~oOo~**

AJ stepped from the shower and wiped the fogged mirror with the back of his hand. The face reflecting back at him was a representation of the day: a bruised cheek, a cut above his eyebrow, and a scrape that went from his chin to the middle of his left cheek. His eyes told even more of the story.

AJ sighed and toweled his curly hair. He could feel his shoulders stiffening and his head beginning to pound. His heart was heavy and tears pricked at the backs of his eyes. Gavin could not have meant it when he said he didn't want to see AJ ever again. AJ hadn't meant to offend Gavin. He _loved_ Gavin, for heaven's sake. And that love was what propelled AJ to launch at the opposing soccer team's center forward when he attempted an illegal slide tackle that caused Gavin to topple over and hit his head on the metal poles in the goal box. And being 16 year old boys playing against their rival team, loyalty took over and the entire Dalton varsity soccer team engaged in a brawl with the Edgefield Preps that rivaled the fights of professional teams. As a result, Dalton had to forfeit the game; AJ was suspended from play for the rest of the season (which was only a week away, but still…) The Edgefield player who set his sites on eliminating one of Dalton's strongholds, goalkeeper Gavin O'Keefe, walked away without a reprimand. Edgefield also walked away with the league championship. As far as AJ knew, Gavin was still in the infirmary, where Coach and a few of the players took him right after the scuffle. Gavin attempted to help, but stepped aside when Coach said, "AJ, I think you've done enough, son." An hour later and still in his gear, AJ went to the clinic to check on Gavin. Gavin was resting with an ice bag on his ankle and a bandage on his head, where he'd made contact with the goal box.

"Hi," AJ whispered as he stepped inside the partitioned area. "How are you feeling?"

Gavin looked at AJ for several seconds before he spoke. "I really don't want to see you. Please leave…"

"Gavin, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. It's just when that forward went after you and…"

"AJ I'm serious. You need to leave now," Gavin said, looking away from AJ.

AJ stood there, feeling helpless and wanting to do everything in his power to make everything alright. "Okay. I understand. I'll come back after dinner and check to see how you are doing."

"No. I think you should just stay away. I'm not sure I ever want to see you again at this point," Gavin said with an anger in his voice that AJ had never heard.

"Gavin! I…please let me explain. I…"

"Just leave me alone!" Gavin said, his voice raised. Moments later, the school nurse whipped open the partition curtain and glared at AJ.

"I think you need to leave now, young man. I can't have my patient agitated while he's recovering." AJ looked at the nurse and then back to Gavin. He looked down at the ground and turned to leave.

**~oOo~**

Dressed now and lying face down on his bed, the tears came. The entire situation played over in AJ's mind. It all started when Dalton was up, 4-2 in the last half of the league championship team. AJ had just scored the fourth point and the teams were lining up for the kickoff. The opposing center forward, someone AJ had disliked since freshman year, smirked at AJ and said, "Hey Dalton boy, word of warning: your goalie's going down."

AJ returned the threat with one of his own. "You might want to think twice about that," he said, leveling his look at the forward.

"What? Is the little fag in the goal box your boyfriend or something?" he asked, attempting to rile AJ.

"First of all, fag is a pretty offensive term. Most civilized people know that. And second, as a matter of fact, he is my boyfriend, and if you so much as breathe the wrong way around him, you'll wish you hadn't," AJ replied.

"What? He's really your…" Edgefield's center broke out into a laugh that sounded like he'd just stumbled upon the best secret in the world. "Oh my god! This is too good to pass up!" The center stepped up and tapped the ball to one of his wings, and took off towards the goal. With one eye on the ball and one on his opponent, AJ headed towards the Dalton goal.

Coach took notice and yelled, "Hummel-Anderson, what the hell are you doing? Get back in position! Where is your mind boy?" AJ ignored his coach (bad decision number 1) and stayed on the forward with great tenacity. The opposing forward trapped a pass from the left forward and made a clean kick to the right forward. He then went straight to the goal box, quickly turning and rolling past AJ. AJ took off behind him, but arrived too late. The next thing AJ knew, Gavin was flying through the air, heading towards the poles on the outer edge of the goal, the result from being slide tackled from behind. When AJ reached the Edgefield center, he was focused and sure. Everyone else on the field was eliminated from his vision; all he could see was the smirk on the face of the player who had purposely injured Gavin. AJ flew through the air and landed on the boy (bad decision number 2). Fists flew, whistles sounded, and moments later, the players from both teams were engaged in a sizeable brawl. Coaches, refs, and a few parents were able to eventually quell the fury. AJ was ejected, Dalton was forced for forfeit, and the rest was history.

Just as AJ rolled towards the wall in his dorm room, Michael and Jacob entered quietly. "Hey, AJ," Michael said softly, sitting on the edge of his roommate's bed. "We heard what happened. Are you okay?"

"Physically, yeah. I'm a little roughed up, but no big deal. I may have messed things up with Gavin, though. He's beyond mad at me."

"The other players were just in the commons and for what it's worth, they say you were totally justified in what you did. I mean, they all get that the whole 'We're-Dalton-and-we-don't-condone-physical-violence' thing, but Cameron and Steven overheard your conversation with the Edgefield center and they knew that he was out to get Gavin," Jacob said.

"Well, we'll see how they feel when the whole reality of losing the league championship by forfeit thing sets in," AJ said, turning to look at the boys.

"Your teammates were pretty clear about that too. In fact, Tristan said that if he had to do it all over again, he would. 'Championship be damned' I think were his exact words. AJ, those guys are your brothers, man. They know you and they know the kind of person you are," Michael said.

"Well, maybe I'll get lucky and they'll talk to Gavin, because I'm pretty much the last person on earth he wants to see. All I was trying to do was protect him. I don't get it."

They boys sat quietly for a few moments before Michael and Jacob exchanged looks. "About that," Michael said.

"About what?" AJ asked, looking at Michael and Jacob. "What do you two know?"

"Well, Cameron went to the infirmary to see Gavin and he said Gavin isn't so much mad at you for starting the fight. It's more like he's mad that you felt you needed to fight his battles for him," Jacob said.

"That's crazy!" AJ exploded. "What was I supposed to do, sit back while that cretin set out to harm my boyfriend? Oh my god! I was so totally not fighting his battles for him! He didn't even know the battle was coming!" AJ yelled.

"Dude, calm down! I'm sure once Gavin is released by the nurse he'll start thinking clearly and he'll come around. In the meantime, you might just want to lie low, you know, give him some space," Michael offered.

"I supposed you're right," AJ sighed. "I guess I'd better call my dads and tell them what happened before the official documents declaring me an unfit boyfriend and center forward arrive by carrier pigeon," he quipped.

"By owl, Dude. Documents delivered by owls are so much cooler, like in Harry Potter…"

"Shut up, Jacob," Michael hissed. "And speaking of your dads, they called already. Word on the street is your coach contacted them right after he left Gavin in the clinic. You were out of the room and I didn't answer your phone, once I saw who was calling," Michael said softly.

"Shit," was all AJ said.

**~oOo~**

AJ sat on a leather couch in the empty second floor lounge. He took a deep breath as he found Blaine's phone number in his contacts. He pushed the button, listened to two rings, and said, "Hi Dad," when Blaine answered.

"Before anything, are you okay AJ?" Blaine asked.

"I'm okay Dad. I've got some injuries, but nothing I haven't seen before. Worse yet, Gavin is furious with me, and I'm guessing you and Daddy K aren't thinking I'm so wonderful about now too," AJ said.

"We are having a tough time wrapping our heads around how you reacted. This fighting business seems so beyond the pale for you. Care to explain what happened?" Blaine asked. AJ recounted the story, and filling in the reasoning behind his actions. Blaine listened carefully, remaining calm and asking clarifying questions. When AJ finished talking, Blaine let out a big sigh and AJ could picture his dad running his hand through his hair and resting it on the back of his neck, a pretty standard stressed-out Blaine actions "Well, son, we did talk to your coach this afternoon and he's pretty unclear as to what will happen. Best case scenario: you get a warning and some school service hours because your record is clean…it is clean, right?"

"Yeah, Dad. Uncle David would call you if I so much as mouthed off in class! Yes, my record is clean, well, before today, at least."

"You're right. And I know you aren't expecting special treatment because of David…"

"Of course not Dad. If anything, I'll get it worse," AJ sighed.

"Well, AJ, thank you for being truthful with me. I know that you'll accept your consequences graciously, so let's set the situation aside. How are you feeling?" Blaine asked.

At that question, AJ couldn't control his tears. "Gavin is really mad and he doesn't want to see me, or so he said. I tried to apologize, but apparently, he thinks I was trying to fight his battles for him. My whole team understands why I did what I did, but Gavin is being awful about this…" AJ stopped talking, realizing that he hadn't told his dads that he and Gavin were "official." And since he hadn't talked to Gavin about it and because maybe there was nothing to be "official" about at this point, AJ decided he should just stop talking.

"I have to admit that I was pretty upset after getting off the phone with your coach, but your dad brought it all around. He reminded me that I almost got into a fight one night at his old school when the guy who used to make Dad's life miserable tried to start things up. I remember feeling blinded with fury; this guy, who was just awful to Daddy K, was right there trying to pick a fight. Auntie Santana broke that one up, believe it or not," Blaine said with a laugh.

"Well, I know she's tough, but…really? She broke it up?" AJ asked, smiling.

"Yeah, she told this guy she was going to compromise part of his manhood and that she had all kinds of razor blades hidden in her hair," Blaine said, laughing and remembering that night. AJ laughed too, instantly feeling better.

"Thanks, Dad, for talking with me. I really needed that. I guess I'd better go and see if I can find Gavin and talk to him. Tell Dad that I love him. I love you too."

"Keep us updated, AJ. Love you, boy. Well talk soon."

After he hung up the phone, AJ sat for a minute, still giggling at the idea of Santana stepping between a bully and his dads. He gathered his strength and left the lounge, heading down the hall towards Gavin's room. AJ check his phone and it was 8:37. A light shone out from beneath Gavin's door. AJ squared himself, took a deep breath, and knocked three times. He heard feet hit the floor and moments later, the door opened. Gavin stood there, his face unreadable.

"Hi," AJ said softly, resisting the urge to reach out and softly touch the cut on Gavin's cheek. "Can we…could we…talk?"

**~oOo~**

**I do believe that ending is what we call a cliff hanger! So not typical for me, would you not agree? Not feeling mean, just pressed for time right now. The conclusion for this conflict will come to you soon.**

**In the meantime, enjoy life, love your friends and family, and whoop it up on Halloween if you are so inclined. Personally, it's one of my favorite holidays.**

**GirlFromTheWest xxoo**


	11. Resolutions

**Okay. So there was a change in my plans, freeing me up a bit. And then I started to feel guilty about the cliff hanger, so I wrote the rest of the story. Happy now? I hope so! **

**Enjoy. Ditto to the Glee is not mine from last time…**

**~oOo~**

Gavin stood in the doorway, looking at his boyfriend of just a few weeks. When he looked in AJ's eyes, he had to look away. The pain and uncertainty were right there, right at the surface and Gavin could not do what he wanted, which was to fly forward and gather up AJ in his arms and tell him everything would be okay. Not yet, at least.

"Come in," Gavin said, moving to one side. AJ closed the door behind him. Gavin sat on the edge of his bed and AJ stopped, wondering where he should sit. He settled on Gavin's chair at his desk. The boys faced each other.

"Hi," AJ said quietly.

"Hi," Gavin replied.

"I'm here to apologize to you and to explain myself. If what you said earlier, that you don't want to see me again, is still true after we talk, I'll understand." AJ's eyes dropped to the floor.

"AJ, I…"

"Please, Gavin, let me say what I need to say before you decide anything," AJ said, assuming that Gavin's attempt to speak would simply result in him telling AJ they were through. "First, that center made horrible comments about how he was going to take you down. He tried to trash talk you and I told him he needed to rethink his plan. He made it pretty clear that his intent was to injure you, so I went into protection mode. I couldn't stand by and let you get attacked!" the volume of AJ's voice began to rise and tears started to flow. "Michael and Jacob told me that you thought I was fighting your battles for you. I know that you can take care of yourself, but I had to stop him! I love you too damn much to not step in and protect you from harm!" With that, AJ doubled over and sobbed. Gavin looked at his boy for a few moments and slid off the edge of his bed. He went to AJ and gently pulled him up from the chair.

Gavin tilted AJ's chin up so they were looking eye-to-eye. A small grin tugged at the edges of Gavin's mouth. "AJ Hummel-Anderson, did you just tell me that you love me?"

AJ's voice hitched and he attempted to gain his composure. "So what if I did?" he asked, a little of the attitude inherited from his Daddy Kurt in his voice.

"Well, then, I supposed I'd have to tell you that I love you too," Gavin said, pulling AJ even closer and hugging him with all his might. They released and Gavin reached over to kiss AJ softly. "Come sit with me," he said. AJ followed Gavin and they both sat on the bed, cross-legged and facing each other. "Okay, first, I'm sorry for how I treated you in the infirmary. I was pretty upset at everything that happened and it wasn't all your fault, but I took it out on you, which is not okay. Can you forgive me for that?" AJ nodded the affirmative.

"Next, I want it to be perfectly clear that I can fight my own battles. I have no intention of setting myself up the be the 'girl' in our relationship. I hate to say it that way because it makes it sound like girls are weak, which they aren't. You'll get a front row seat to strong women when you meet my family in a few weeks. But do you know what I mean? We have to be equals if this is going to work."

"I totally agree," AJ said. "But it seems to me that being part of a relationship means taking care of each other. Like, if the milk in the refrigerator was bad and I knew it, I'd throw it out so you wouldn't drink it and get grossed out or sick or something. I'd move things from the middle of the room if I thought you'd trip on them in the dark. In a way that's protecting you, right?"

Gavin smiled when he realized that he wasn't the only one thinking about and hoping that someday, he and AJ would live together. "You are right, and you know I'd do the same for you. I think everything was heightened with the championship game and the adrenaline flowing, and I'm not sure, but there may have been a teensy bit of testosterone on that field today," Gavin said, pushing on AJ's knee.

"Ha! More like several hundred gallon jugs of testosterone!" AJ scoffed. "So, I'm sorry for sticking my nose in your business. I'll try to be more careful in the future, or at least wait until I get the all-clear from you to get involved, okay?"

"And I'll try not to get too worked up if your need to protect me shows up because you are so taken by my soccer skills, my chiseled muscles, and my extremely handsome face," Gavin said, laughing.

"I'm not sure how you fit through the door with that big head of yours," AJ teased, making both boys laugh again. Moments later, both boys got quiet and looked into each other's eyes. "So, are we good?" AJ asked, taking Gavin's hand.

"Yes, we are," Gavin said, shifting his body so he was closer to AJ. AJ moved as well, so that both boys sat side by side, arms tangled around each other. AJ placed his hand on Gavin's jaw and drew their faces together. The boys met in the middle with a soft kiss, which didn't remain soft for long. Something desperate and new developed between Gavin and AJ, something that needed to be there to back up those three simple words. Proof was created that evening, as the boys kissed and explored, hands finding sides and chests and necks. Knowing that any more would lead them places they were not ready to go, the kisses returned to the gentle side. Finally, they pulled apart, Gavin holding to both sides of AJ's face and smiling.

"Wow. That was…wow," Gavin said.

"You," AJ said, kissing his boyfriend, "are amazing. I love you. God, that feels so good to say."

"I love you too, AJ." Gavin hugged AJ one more time. "Crap, it's five minutes until lights out. I wish you could stay here with me tonight."

"Me too, baby, but…"

"I know, I know. You don't have to say it," Gavin replied. "Will you meet me for breakfast tomorrow? And since it is Sunday, maybe we can go do something fun. What do you think?"

"I think hanging around you is about as wonderful as it gets, but yeah, let's go do something fun! I'll pick you up for breakfast at nine? The boys will probably be with me, if that's okay." 

"Of course it is!" Gavin replied. "AJ, I have to honest, it was Michael and Jacob who came to see me right after I got back from the infirmary. They were here on your behalf and wouldn't let up until I said I'd forgive you. They really are good friends to you, you know."

AJ was still and quiet for a few seconds. As crazy as the boys made him, they really were his true friends. He knew that Michael, Jacob, and he would be friends forever. They attend each other's weddings, celebrate milestones together, and they'd be there to listen and help. No matter where they ended up in the world, there would always be a bond between them that nothing could break. Michael and Jacob, AJ decided, were the equivalent to Uncle Wes and Uncle David to his dads. "The lads are good boys," AJ said with a faint smile.

A banging fist broke the quiet in the room. "Hey O'Keefe, is Hummel-Anderson in there with you, because he has about 42 seconds to get out and be in his room before I write him up for breaking curfew." It was the voice of Travis, the floor leader. Mild mannered Dalton boy by day, he became "Terrible Travis" by night, patrolling the halls at curfew, making sure everyone was where he was to be.

AJ opened the door and said, "Never fear, Travis, I'm on my way." Turning, AJ winked at Gavin and said, "Goodnight!" Gavin smiled and closed his door.

Travis was right on AJ's heels as he walked towards Room 208. "Hey, AJ, so, did you guys work everything out? I don't want to be snoopy, but is Gavin still mad at you?"

"Well, I'd be glad to fill you in, but it appears that I have three seconds to be in my room before I'm written up by the most efficient hall monitor I've ever met!" AJ said, grinning.

"Come on AJ, I won't write you up. So, are you two squared away?" Travis asked with an anxious look in his eyes.

"Yeah, man, we're fine. Thanks for asking."

"Whew!" Travis said, "Honestly, you two are good for each other. I hope someday that I find somebody…I'm not, you know…" Travis hesitated.

"Gay?" AJ asked, grinning.

"Yeah," Travis said. "But someday I hope I find a girl and that we are as good for each other as you and Gavin are. Now. get in your room before I report you," Travis said, smiling.

"Thanks. Night Travis."

**~oOo~**

Sunday was such a wonderful day, that come Monday morning, it was hard to believe anything as horrible as Saturday's soccer game could have happened. Reality came crashing down when a note requesting AJ's presence in the headmaster's office, arrived during Physics. "Here we go," AJ whispered under his breath, as he stood up from his desk and made his way to the door. Four of his teammates fist bumped him for good luck as AJ passed their desks. Evidently, his teacher had been filled in on the weekend's events, as a look of sympathy crossed his face when AJ made eye contact with him before leaving the room.

After getting the go-ahead from the secretary, AJ knocked softly on the door and entered the office when David said, "Come in." AJ quietly slid through the door and looked at his dads' oldest and dearest friend sitting behind a massive desk.

"Hello AJ," David said, starting off with his serious face, and then breaking into the ready grin that was familiar and comforting to AJ.

"Hi Uncle David," AJ said, still unsure as to what would happen.

"Talked to your dads lately?" David asked, eyebrows arched.

"Yes. I called them on Saturday after that series of unfortunate events occurred. Why? Have you talked to them?" AJ asked.

"Yes. Both of them, actually. They were really worried about you. I had to stop Kurt from getting on a plane and flying here immediately. Blaine was a little more down-to-earth. No big surprise there, right?" David grinned and AJ laughed.

"So, we have this issue that needs resolution. First of all, what on earth caused you to begin a scuffle with the boy from Edgefield?" David asked, looking directly at AJ.

"He was talking trash, saying he was going to hurt Gavin. I know he was just mad that we were ahead in the last half and that losing the game meant losing the championship, but he had no right to say the things he said about Gavin! So I told him he needed to rethink his plan. When it appeared he didn't, I went after him, which didn't matter because he went after Gavin anyway. I don't know what happened to me! All the sudden, it was just me and that forward on the field and I needed to get him back for that illegal slide tackle, which, by the way, everyone in the world seemed to miss, refs included. He didn't even get called for it and he walks away without a penalty and with the district championship, which really stinks because…"

"Whoa there, AJ. I get it, I get it. I know that your teammates are important to you and that loyalty runs deep in Dalton's soccer program, but let me ask you this: why the strong reaction to Gavin getting hurt?" David asked.

"Well, uh, we're sort of…dating," AJ said, and quickly added, "but don't tell my dads yet. I know they won't mind, but I want to be the one to tell them. And I will, when we travel to California in two weeks. You won't, will you?" AJ asked, looking at David anxiously.

"Ah, this is all starting to make more sense," David said, grinning. "Okay, so here's what has come to light since Saturday afternoon. First, every stinking member of the soccer team and some of the local parents have come through my office in the last 48 hours, pleading for me to take it easy on you. You have some good and loyal friends out there, AJ Hummel-Anderson, and don't you forget it. Your coach, too. You might want to update him on your status with Gavin, because I think he'll understand what transpired better with that information. One of the parents brought photographs he'd taken and printed. Seems he had a new camera lens with a high shutter speed for action shots and he was practicing at the game. He happened to catch the illegal slide tackle, second by second, so there is no doubt in the officials' minds that the boy from Edgefield was in the wrong. He, too, has been suspended from play for the rest of the season. Two of your teammates overheard your conversation with said center fielder and their stories mesh with yours. No one is debating that you were justified in your anger and your concern."

AJ waited, looking at David. A faint glimmer of hope told him that this whole situation was not going to end as poorly as AJ previously thought it would.

"So, the officials and the league and discussing how to handle awarding the championship title. Good luck to them, I say! I'm glad that's not one I'll need to sort out. Still at hand, we have the matter of you being involved in a physical altercation while representing our school in a sporting event. You know this is very serious, right AJ?" David asked.

"Yes sir," AJ said, looking at David in the eyes.

"Your record is clear, you've been a model student all three years at Dalton, so I see no need to impose a severe punishment. What I've decided to do is assign you to ten hours of volunteer time in the clinic. By the way, the nurse was in here just this morning pleading your case too. She said you seemed like such a nice boy and you were only protecting your friend, she said. What is it about you, boy, that makes everyone stick up for you? I would have KILLED to have had that support when I was here as a kid."

"I'm sure my dads could tell me why you didn't have…" AJ was cut off.

"Hold up there, son, It is not too late to make this consequence a little more uncomfortable!" AJ knew David was joking and both of them laughed. "Okay, so ten hours of time working with the nurse. Have her send me an email when you've completed your time. Any questions?"

"None that I can think of. Thank you, Uncle David, for…well, you know, being so supportive."

"Glad to do it. Besides, would you want to incur the wrath of Kurt if he thought his baby boy had been wronged? I'm not a stupid man, AJ!" David said.

"I totally get you there, Uncle David," AJ said.

**~oOo~**

After spending his first two hours helping in the clinic, AJ began to feel guilty. While replenishing supplies, making beds, and filing records, he found himself feeling really comfortable in the atmosphere of the infirmary. AJ had this uncanny sense that this was the environment in which he belonged. He began looking forward to his afternoons there, plotting ways in which he might extend his volunteering stint. He and Nurse Natalie got along famously, cracking each other up and talking about everything under the sun.

The true test came on an afternoon when Natalie stepped out of the clinic to run some records over to the main office. A freshman boy came in, looking ghost white and complaining of feeling sick. AJ recognized the pre-vomiting look on the boy's face, and grabbed for a garbage can immediately. He rubbed the boy's back as he emptied the contents of his stomach, reassuring him that he'd be fine. As soon as the puking stopped, AJ got Graysen (as he found out the boy's name) to a cot so he could lie down. AJ prepared the thermometer so that Natalie could take his temperature when she returned. He asked Graysen if he'd like a blanket or some water. They were in the middle of a chat about the assignments in freshman English, when the nurse entered, surprised to find a patient waiting for her.

"AJ, wow! You did exactly what I would have done! Thank you! I'm impressed!" Natalie said, as she reached for the thermometer.

"He's going to make a really good doctor," Graysen said, smiling at AJ. AJ stopped, startled. He's always pictured himself as a teacher, but in that moment, it all fell together: the feeling "at home" in the clinic, the sense of what needed to be done for a patient, the ease he felt around the equipment, the supplies and the records.

"Huh. I'm going to have to think about that!" AJ said, smiling at Graysen. With that, AJ stood up, grabbed his bag and said good bye to patient and nurse. "I'll see you tomorrow, Natalie. I have to run and meet Gavin for dinner."

"Tell him 'hi' from me, and don't forget to study for your history test!" Natalie called behind him.

AJ stopped at the clinic door and said in his best exasperated tone, "Yes, Mo-ther!" With a quick grin and a loud laugh from Natalie, AJ was out the door.

**~oOo~**

On Friday night, Gavin and AJ were cuddled together on Gavin's bed, watching a movie on the laptop. After it ended, conversation turned to the next week, when they'd both head for their respective homes. After a few days apart, the Hummel-Andersons would head to Southern California, where Gavin and his family lived. They'd spend time in the Disney parks and both families would gather for a meal on Christmas Eve. While both boys quietly dreaded the separation, they knew it was temporary and they both looked forward to their first vacation (well, sort-of vacation) with each other.

After several kisses, the boys continued talking about their plans, which included telling both their families that they were officially dating. Neither was nervous, but both felt a bit guilty keeping the news to themselves.

"Hey, I had a bit of a revelation in the clinic the other day," AJ started.

"Oh yeah! How is my boyfriend-on-probation doing with his community service?" Gavin asked, grinning.

AJ grabbed a nearby pillow and bonked Gavin on the head with it. "Seriously, I think that maybe I'm supposed to be a doctor." AJ went on to explain what happened with Graysen, and how he felt so at home in the infirmary.

Gavin nodded his head in understanding. "My dad always says that it's a lucky person who figures out what he was put on the earth to do. The earlier the better, he says. I can't imagine doing a job just because you had to, you know what I mean?"

"Totally. Well, I'm going to start looking into this whole medical school/doctor thing," AJ said as he stretched and got up to return to his dorm room.

"Well, having a doctor in the family could come in handy!" Gavin said, jokingly. "Just think, our 27 kids will never have to go to the hospital for stitches! You'll be able to fix them up at home. Maybe we should look for a house with a surgery in the garage. What do you think? Gavin's eyes sparkled and a big smile took over his face. They played like this, sometimes. Always light and in a joking manner, but both secretly hoped that the other would be in his future.

"Ha! Yeah! And with 27 kids, you'd best find a profession that comes in handy. How do you feel about cutting hair? Haircuts would cost a fortune for 28 people," AJ said.

"Hey, I said 27 kids," Gavin said.

"Well, there's me too. I make 28," AJ returned. He leaned towards Gavin and kissed him. "I love you, Gavin. See you in the morning?"

"Love you too, AJ. Sleep well."

**~oOo**~

**I'm officially exhausted. Night night all! Talk soon.**

**GirlFromTheWest xxoo**


	12. Things Get Serious

**Helllloooo strangers! Long time no see! I have no explanations for the tardiness of this entry, other than life and then vacation. Just got back, had a little time on my hands, and I was itching to write. This is a fluffy, fluffy, cute, and pretty unrealistic chapter. But did I mention it is fluffy? And cute?**

**So, enjoy! See you at the end. **

**And just in case you haven't picked up on it yet, nothing related to Glee belongs to me.**

**And oh yeah, Blaine and Kurt make an appearance in this entry. I think that is all.**

**~oOo~**

"What?" AJ Hummel-Anderson looked up from his physics text to find Gavin O'Keefe staring at him.

Gavin grinned. "You are beautiful."

"Gav, please. If I don't get an A on this test tomorrow, my grade drops dangerously close to a C and C's don't go over well in the Hummel-Anderson household."

"Sooooo, you don't like it when I tell you that you're are beautiful?" Gavin asked.

"No, that's not the…STOP DISTRACTING ME!" AJ shouted, which he followed up with his trademark grin. After one more valiant attempt at making the words on the page mean something, he slammed the text closed and said, "Fine. Now, what were you saying about me?" He got up from his desk and moved over to his bed, cross legged and across from Gavin, who gave a victory holler and wrapped his arms around AJ.

"I said that you are beautiful," Gavin kissed AJ soundly, "and to that I'll add brilliant," another kiss, "and kind" another kiss "and sexy." The final kiss lasted much longer than the rest, and AJ found himself being pushed back towards the headboard of his bed.

AJ broke the kiss, causing Gavin to whine just a bit. "Okay. Enough. Seriously, I've got to study and it would be really kind of you to help me, O Physics God. Chemistry made so much more sense to me. Physics can go die a slow and painful death."

"Come on, sweetheart, it's not that complicated. Makes all the sense in the world, if you think about it." Gavin sat up again and reach for AJ's book. "I'll make you a deal: I'll help you study and take you to dinner IF you promise to spend the hour before lights out with me. Alone. No Michael and Jacob allowed"

"And what is the plan for that hour?" AJ asked, looking Gavin in the eye.

"Oh, I don't know. I think an hour of cuddling and kissing and more cuddling might be in order. So, do we have a deal or what? Clock's a-ticking," Gavin said, tapping his watch.

"The pressure is killing me," AJ teased. "Okay. Fine. You help me ace this test; I spend the hour before lights out with you. Deal?" AJ extended his right hand.

"Deal," Gavin said, reaching out to shake AJ's hand. "Let's get cracking."

"Let's get cracking? Who says that?" AJ asked, laughing.

"Evidently, I do. And I think Woody, from Toy Story. Or maybe one of the characters from Westside Story. I dunno," Gavin responded before delving into all things high school physics.

**~oOo~**

That hour before lights out started out as Gavin intended, but evolved into some pretty serious talk about several different subjects. For a while, the boys reminisced about their holiday trip to California, where they, along with Kurt and Blaine spent a couple of day at Disneyland and California Adventure. They talked about the dinner they had, compliments of AJ's dads, at the Napa Rose in the Grand Californian Hotel. They laughed about AJ meeting Gavin's family, including his suspicious younger brother Xander (who, as it turned out, was a pretty good magician), his sassy sister Mhyre, and his adorable youngest sibling, Siobhan. "AJ, I don't think you know how 'in' you are with my family. After they saw Bhannie take to you AND ask you to color in that semi-precious-and-all-holy Spongebob coloring book, they were sold. You know how people say dogs can judge people's personalities? Siobhan is like that. She takes to the people with good hearts, and she took to you at an alarming speed."

AJ was quiet for a few seconds. "What?" Gavin asked.

"I…uh…" AJ faltered.

"Come on! Spit it out! What's going through that amazing brain of yours?" Gavin asked, kissing AJ's temple.

"Gav, I know that we are young and that we joke around about our futures, but…I…Oh hell."

"AJ, you know there isn't a thing we can't talk about."

"I know. Okay." AJ's voice got really quiet. "Do you, you know, ever think about our futures in a serious way? Like, if we'll be together?" AJ's question met silence, which caused him to backpedal a bit. "Oh, god, I'm so sorry. I've overstepped. Forget I said…" All speaking stopped because Gavin's lips crashed down on AJ's, in a kiss that was more of an answer than anything else. The longer kiss ended in a serious of earnest pecks, both sets of eyes open, and a smile spreading across Gavin's face.

"What?" AJ finally asked the boy with a big dumb grin.

"I've wanted to have this conversation with you for the past several weeks, but I was chicken, figuring I'd scare you off." AJ sighed with relief and Gavin continued. "AJ, we are young and I know that most high school romances don't last past graduation. I don't know which colleges we'll end up attending, and I know that long distances don't always make the heart grow fonder." AJ looked down, his shoulders sagging slightly, afraid of where this conversation was headed. Gavin reached over and lifted AJ's chin so they were looking each other in the eyes. "But, I love you AJ. I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone. We haven't known each other for long; we've dated for even less time, but something feels right here, like I have this calm feeling that we are meant to be together. People will call us crazy, tell us we are making a mistake at too young an age, but," Gavin paused and wiped a tear that began to fall from AJ's eye, "I cannot imagine my future without you. I want the whole deal: the marriage, the house full of noisy kids, the careers, the vacations, the good times and the tough times. I want to grow old with you and take my last breath holding your hands and looking into your eyes. So, to answer your question, yeah, I do think about our future and from where I stand, my future is you."

Tears flowed freely from both boys as they embraced in silence, eyes squeezed shut, neither quite believing that they'd arrived at this place so soon. Pulling apart, they both laughed when their hands smacked into each other while each reached to dry the other's tears.

"Dammit. Lights out in seven minutes," AJ said. "Sometimes I wish we were older and living together. I'd really like it if we didn't have to say goodnight and head our separate ways."

"I know," Gavin said, "but this is only temporary. Someday, and then for the rest of our lives, if you'll have me that long."

"Do you even have to ask? Gavin, I want it all too. With you. You know that my dads met when they were seventeen. Neither had dated anyone else seriously, yet here they are today, rock solid and a whole lot happier than most of my friends' parents. I know it is possible for us to work out and nothing would make me happier."

"Stay with me tonight," Gavin pleaded urgency in his voice. "Go to your room for check-in and then sneak back here. I don't want to be apart from you tonight."

"Gavin I don't know. That's a pretty serious offence and then there is the matter of…"

"AJ, I just want to sleep in your arms and talk until we fall asleep. Cross my heart. Explain it to Michael and Jacob. They'll cover for you. They'll understand."

AJ was silent for a few seconds, and then he smiled. "Okay. God, what I won't do for you. But if we get caught and this gets back to my dads, it's on you, got it buster?"

"I'll take all the blame. Now, get out there and make sure the hall monitor sees you go to your room. Get back here as soon as you can." Gavin kissed AJ, turned him around and gently pushed him to the door.

A quick conversation with the boys and a stealth maneuver down the hallway, and AJ was back in Gavin's room. They settled in for sleep, content to be in each other's arms. They talked until the wee hours of the morning, about after high school and families and where they'd like to live. Conversation stopped, mid-discussion, when they were just too tired to continue on. They slept peacefully, dreaming of each other and what the future would bring.

**~oOo~**

"You know, my dads used to sneak out all the time. Even sneak off campus. According to them, the rules we have now, you know the ones that threaten us within an inch of our lives if we are out past curfew, are because of them," AJ told Gavin at breakfast the next morning.

"Remind me to thank them next time we talk," Gavin said before taking a bite of cereal.

"Well, I'd best go meet my fate at the hands of the Physics Universe. Wish me luck!" AJ said, gathering his things.

"You'll do great! Just remember the things we studied yesterday and be logical. It will all be fine," Gavin reassured. Seconds later, he leaned over and whispered in AJ's ear, "And also remember that I love you. With that, what could go wrong?" AJ kissed the top of Gavin's head, which lead to the requisite "Get-a-rooms!" from Michael and Jacob. With a very Kurt-esque eye roll in their direction, AJ headed to the science wing.

**~oOo~**

Blaine walked into the Hummel-Anderson home to find Kurt on the phone, his brow furrowed, a look between worry and concern and…happiness? on his face.

"Okay, son. Yep. I know, it can be confusing, but remember that you have all the time in the world. No, no, of course not. We love him. Right. You have been smart, very smart. I know, been there, done that. Okay. Okay, I'll tell him. Okay. I love you. Tell Gavin hi and that we love him too. Okay. Bye, AJ."

Kurt hung up and looked right into his husband's face.

"Hey! Obviously, that was our boy What's up? Everything okay?" Blaine asked.

"Well," Kurt cleared his throat, "it seems that AJ and Gavin have declared their undying love for each other. As in, their intent is to be together forever. This puts us in a strange spot, you realize. My logical brain wants to tell the boys that they are too young to be making such serious decisions but…"

"…but then there is us," Blaine said, "the two who met at seventeen, same age as the boys, and we're still here, still making it work. You are right: a very strange spot. So, my brilliant husband, what did you tell him?"

"I told him to continue being smart, to take things slowly, to remember that high school is the time to have fun and the last time in his life that he'll have relatively no responsibilities, beyond his studies. Really, Blaine, I know they are young, but both AJ and Gavin are good kids with brains in their heads. I know there are no guarantees that they won't screw up, but it already feels like Gavin is part of our family. I hate to say this, but I can see this working out between the two of them. Is that wrong?"

Blaine rubbed his hand over his forehead and thought for a few moments. "To be totally honest, I'd be thrilled if they ended up together, but we have to be careful and smart too. We can't set ourselves up for disappointment if the boys decide that their futures won't include each other. That, and be there for them, listening and dispensing advice when they need it and want it. You know, I always thought parenting was one of those things that would get easier as AJ got older. Not so, huh?"

"You can say that again," Kurt replied. "We also talked about summer break. Seems the boys are in cahoots to spend part of their break here and part in Southern California with the O'Keefe's. What do you think about that?"

"Well, initially, I'm thrilled that they want to spend time with each other's families. I'd be thrilled to have them here for a few weeks to get to know Gavin even better. After meeting the O'Keefe's at Christmas, I've confident that AJ would be in good hands while there. So, yeah, I think I'm fine with that plan. You?"

"As always, we're on the same page. That's kind of sick, isn't it? We are not very good role models for our son," Kurt said, laughing.

"Well, you know what they say: 'If you can't be a good example, be a cautionary tale.'" Both Blaine and Kurt burst out laughing and moved on to a conversation about their respective days.

**~oOo~**

"I told them."

"And?"

"Well, I actually only talked to Daddy K, but it's as good as talking to both of them. They love you. They told me to tell you that and 'hi' from them."

"And?"

"They want us to continue being smart and aware. They know from their own experiences that it is all possible. I think my dad felt a little torn, though. I think he realizes that what he and Daddy B have is unusual, yet he wants us to be realistic. Kind of a weird place to be."

"Agreed. Did you talk about summer?"

"Yep. It's a go. Your turn to face the music."

"I'm calling the house tomorrow night, as usual."

"Don't you mean 'the mansion'?"

"Cut it out, AJ."

"Sorry, sorry. What do you think they'll say?"

"I'm guessing the conversation will go a lot like the one you had with Kurt."

"And yet one more uncanny aspect of this relationship. God, I love you. Hey, I have to finish my English assignment and then I'm ready to go to dinner? Dine with me?"

"I can't think of a better date. Love you too, AJ. See you in an hour."

**~oOo~**

**Okay, far shorter than usual, but necessary in establishing the future! I really am an advocate for committing oneself to a serious relationship when one is older…much older than high school. People grow up and change SO MUCH between ages 18 and 25. In our family, we try to instill "No serious decisions made before age 25." But for some reason, this situation works for the boys. I dunno. Does that make me a hypocrite? Might be, but this is a fictional story, so who cares?**

**For those who celebrate, I hope the holiday was to your liking. See you soon?**

**GirlFromTheWest xxoo**


	13. Summer, Part One: New York

**Hello Dear Readers! Just wanted to get this story out before the holidays are officially over and life gets back to normal. Remember how the boys plotted to spend the summer together, half with Kurt and Blaine and half with the O'Keefe family? Below, find the story from July, the month with the Hummel-Andersons.**

**Glee is not mine, just in case there was any confusion.**

**~oOo~**

Kurt flew through the living room, grabbing items and stuffing them in his bag. "I'm late! I am frightfully late. Has anyone seen my keys?" he said to all in earshot.

Gavin put down the morning paper and stood, looking in all the places keys might hide. He spied them on an end table, partially hidden by an open novel. "Found them," he said, handing the keys to Kurt.

"Oh, thank god! I'm so…hey! Why are you here?"

Gavin shrugged his shoulders and said, "I decided to stay home. I thought Blaine and AJ might like to have some time by themselves today." Gavin looked at the floor and then to Kurt. "I just don't want to be in the way, you know?"

Kurt hitched his bag up on his shoulder and looked Gavin in the eye. "Gavin O'Keefe, I've never heard such nonsense in my life! AJ would never feel like you were in the way! You are so thoughtful, but really, son, you are as good as a member of this family, so let that 'I don't want to be in the way' stuff go, okay?"

"Well…"

"One thing you are going to find out by living with us for a few weeks is that the Hummel-Andersons tend to be pretty honest with each other. If AJ didn't want you around, he would have told you, understand?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah. I was just feeling a bit insecure. Thanks, Kurt."

"No problem. Now, I've got to get my sorry self to the theater before I find myself unemployed. Hey," Kurt said, pausing and looking at Gavin, "if you aren't doing anything, why don't you come with me. You can keep me company on the drive, and you can watch the production from the wings. Truly, the best seats in the house!"

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to impose," Gavin said, a hopeful smile on his face.

"Child, did you not hear anything I just said?"

"Right," Gavin giggled. "I'll leave a note for AJ and Blaine and I'll meet you in the car." He scrawled on paper quickly, grabbed his school bag, and headed out the door.

"Hustle, boy! I can't believe I'm running this late!" Kurt yelled as he made a beeline for his car.

**~oOo~**

In late June, two days after school got out for the summer, AJ and Gavin took a plane from Ohio to New York. Their plan for the summer was to spend July with Blaine and Kurt and then fly to California to spend the month of August with Pat and Molly O'Keefe and their brood. The boys presented the plan as a chance to get to know each other's families, but deep down, they knew that they couldn't bear spending two months apart. Lucky for them, both families bought into their plan, giving the boys an entire summer to hang out, travel with the respective families, and relax.

After setting some ground rules ("Separate bedrooms, boys," Blaine said upon their arrival. "We've already talked with Pat and Molly and the same rules will apply while you are in California") and getting settled in, everyone fell into the summer way of life, with meals eaten outside, swimming in the pool, running to the village for ice cream, and going to outdoor movies and concerts in the park. The boys stayed up late, slept in, and wore shorts and flip flops. While they both attempted to keep up with their summer assignments for Dalton ("This is cruel and unusual punishment!" Gavin exclaimed, when he first heard of Dalton's expectations for summer study), they usually abandoned their academic intentions for more entertaining pursuits, like Frisbee golf and water balloon fights and lounging by the pool.

A week into their stay, Gavin began to feel like he might be in the way. Although he realized he was probably being oversensitive, he didn't want to be a burden. Obviously, AJ and his dads were used to each other, used to being together. In a quiet fit of insecurity, Gavin decided to back away a bit and give AJ more time with his family. That morning, when Blaine announced that he needed to do a little research for his newest book at a historic site a couple of hours to the north, AJ asked if he and Gavin could tag along. Blaine, thrilled to have the company, told the boys he knew of the greatest restaurant in the town they'd be visiting and that they should mentally prepare themselves to experience the best apple pie they'd ever tasted. Gavin saw this as a chance to give his boyfriend some time with Blaine, so he politely declined, saying he needed to stay behind and study.

A few minutes later, when the boys were alone, AJ asked, "Gav, what's up?"

"Nothing. Why?"

"Well, one, you are willing to miss a field trip with Professor Blaine to do homework and two, apple pie. It's apple pie, Gavin!"

Gavin laughed. "I…you need some time with your family while we're here. This would be a good time for you and your dad to hang out together." 

"Gav, please. You are my family too. The dads adore you. Truly, if you were being as big a pain in the ass as I'm sure you think you are, someone would let you know." AJ pulled Gavin towards him and hugged him tight. Gavin reciprocated, and planted a kiss on AJ's lips. "Come on. Join us. Join us!" AJ pleaded, using his very best puppy eyes and pouty mouth.

"I think I'll stay," Gavin said. "Really, I've got work to do because I'm a little behind. Remember that day I fell asleep and you kept reading the work for history? I've got to catch up. Can't have you ahead of me!" He grinned, trying to keep things light.

"Suit yourself," AJ continued, "but know that I'll miss you. Want me to bring you some of that pie my dad keeps drooling over?"

"That would be great! Go on! Have a fun day with your dad and you can tell me all about it when you get home."

"Okay, baby. I love you!" AJ said, as he went off in search of Blaine.

"Love you too." Gavin said.

**~oOo**~

"Traffic is mercifully light for this time of day. The driving gods are with us!" Kurt exclaimed.

"How long does it take to get to the theater?" Gavin asked.

"We have around thirty-five more minutes to go. Back in the day, I used to take the train into the city, but, well, I'm a little too recognizable to do that these days. I don't say that to be boastful, it's just…"

"I get it," Gavin said. "People in the village seem to be pretty cool about you, though. I've noticed when we're out and about, people give you your space and are pretty respectful."

"Truly, it's one of the things I love about our community. We've lived here so long and what I do on stage and the whole fame thing doesn't faze anyone in the village. There, I'm just Kurt, husband to Blaine and dad to AJ. I know that not everyone in the entertainment industry is afforded that kind of privacy, and believe me, I'm thankful every single day that I can run to the grocery store or watch a concert in the park without things getting out of hand." Kurt said.

"It has to be kind of cool sometimes, though, right? To be recognized and appreciated for the work you do," Gavin asked.

"You are right, it does. I never mind kind comments from someone who is respectful. It's the ones who go a bit crazy and get a little too pushy that I can't abide. Luckily, over the years I've gotten quite adept at recognizing when an encounter is about to go south. It's a skill, you know, getting out of those potentially difficult situations."

"Yeah, I'd hate that," Gavin said, before looking out the window.

"Gavin," Kurt said, sensing some apprehension on the boy's part, "I meant what I said earlier. AJ adores you; you know that, right?"

Gavin turned and looked at Kurt. "I do know that. Sorry for being kind of weird. It's just…I don't know. I know that AJ told you about the talk we had and that we are pretty serious about our long term plans to be together, like, forever."

"He did tell me. And you need to know that, while both of you are very young to be making that kind of a decision, Blaine and I are delighted to have you as a member of our family. You know our history and that we were in the same situation you find yourself in right now. As long as you keep being honest with yourselves and with each other, and then acting accordingly, no matter what happens, you'll be okay. Does that make sense?" Kurt asked.

"It does," Gavin said and then he paused as he tried to compose what he wanted to say to Kurt. "I guess I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself because this is really the first time we're all spending a whole lot of time together. I want to fit into your family and I want you and Blaine to like me at the end of July just as much as you did at the beginning. I just don't want to screw this up!" Gavin said, looking straight ahead.

Kurt was quiet for a few moments. "Would it help if I told you no one expects you to be perfect? Blaine and I don't expect AJ to be perfect and visa versa. Our family extends the grace to each other that allows us to screw up every once in a while. We see those mess ups as a chance to learn something about ourselves, not as a damnable offense. So, Gavin, relax," Kurt said, reaching over to pat Gavin's knee, "and quit trying to be perfect. We love you just the way you are."

Gavin smiled and let out a sigh. "Thanks, Kurt. That means a lot to me."

"We're just glad you're with us this month. Besides, I've always wanted another son!" Kurt looked at Gavin and grinned. "Hey, we're here! And only five minutes late. Impressive, if I do say so myself. Come on," Kurt said, grabbing his bag from the back seat, "you can hang out in my dressing room while I attend to some pre-show business." Gavin shouldered his book bag and followed Kurt through the stage door. Just inside, Kurt stopped and rubbed his hand on his temples.

"Are you okay?" Gavin asked.

"Uh, yeah. Fine. Must be my eyes adjusting from the light to the dark. Come along, I'll give you a tour along the way. Meet Jimmy, our backstage security guard. Jimmy, this is Gavin, AJ's boyfriend. He's staying with us for the month of July…"

**~oOo~**

By four o'clock that afternoon, after Blaine visited the sites he needed to see, plus had a very lengthy discussion with a knowledgeable librarian at the public library, AJ and his dad were on the road, towards home. Because Blaine knows his pie, AJ trusted that the dessert at the café would be a pastry experience of a lifetime, and it was. Not looking forward to the long trek home, AJ pulled out his phone to text Gavin, realizing that they hadn't been in contact with each other all day.

As he scrolled through his contacts, the phone rang and Gavin's smiling face appeared on the screen. AJ loved it when this happened, when he was about to call Gavin and Gavin had the same thought at the same time. Grinning, he answered his phone. "Hey, Gavvie! How's studying going?"

"AJ, listen very carefully. Put me on speaker." Gavin's serious tone made AJ stop breathing. He pushed the button so Blaine could hear what Gavin had to say. "I'm with Kurt and we're at the hospital. I went with him to the theater today and while he was running through a quick rehearsal, he passed out on stage. He hit his head on the set staircase, and he's still unconscious."

"Oh my god!" Blaine yelled. "Is he okay? What is happening right now?"

"The doctors are in with him. They haven't come out to tell me anything. How fast can you get here?" Gavin asked.

Blaine looked at the time and took a guess. "An hour, if I speed. Which hospital?" Blaine asked, obvious concern in his voice.

"Our Lady of Perpetual Mercy. The one closest to the theater. He's on the third floor, but I'm not sure which room. The doctors said they'd be out within the half hour to let me know what's going on," Gavin said.

"Gav," Blaine said, gently, "they probably won't let you know anything because you aren't technically family."

"Well, uh, I hope you don't mind, but I kind of lied and told the paramedics that I'm Kurt's son. It was the only way they'd let me ride along to the hospital. I'm sorry if that offends you or causes any…"

Despite his worry, Blaine grinned. "Gavin, you did the right thing. Hold on, son. We'll be there as soon as possible. Call AJ's phone when you know more."

"Okay. Will do. AJ?" Gavin asked.

"Yeah?"

"I can tell by how quiet you are that you are freaking out inside. Don't worry, baby. Kurt's going to be just fine, okay? I'll take good care of him until you get here, okay?"

"Thank you," AJ whispered.

"I love you AJ. You too, Blaine." Gavin said.

"Thanks, Gavin. We love you too. See you soon."

Fifteen minutes later, AJ's phone rang. Immediately, he put Gavin on speaker. "Good news!" Gavin said. "I just talked to the doctor and he said Kurt is awake and everything seems fine. They are talking to him now, trying to figure out what happened, but from what they can tell, there's nothing to worry about."

Blaine and AJ sighed so loud that Gavin could hear them, and laughed. "Relief, right?" he said, laughing. 

"No kidding. Hey Gav, we're still a ways away, but thank you for being there and taking care of everything. We'll be there as soon as possible; the rest of our ride will a little less stressful, right AJ?"

"Totally!" AJ said. "Thank you, Gavin. You are…you…just, thank you."

Gavin laughed at his boyfriend's loss of words. "No worries. You'd do the same for me. No big deal. See you in a few."

**~oOo~**

"Gavin Hummel-Anderson?" A nurse stood at the edge of the waiting room. Gavin grinned to himself over his new name.

"Right here," he said, standing.

"Hi, I'm Renee. I'll take you back to see your dad, if you're ready. Follow me." As they walked down the hall, Renee filled him in. "Your dad is fine except for a big bump on his head. The doctor is just finishing up with him and he'll give you more details. Do you have a way to get him home?"

"Yeah, my… other dad will be here in thirty minutes or so."

"Here we are. Come on inside," Renee said, as she opened the door. Gavin peeked around the curtain to find Kurt sitting up in bed, a bandage on his forehead.

"Hi son!" Kurt said, brightly, winking at Gavin to let him know he knew.

"Hey, Dad!" Gavin moved forward and hugged Kurt.

"You are a smart, smart boy," Kurt whispered into Gavin's ear as they hugged. Gavin grinned and nodded his head.

"Gavin, is it? I'm Dr. Ammundson. Your dad and I were just talking. After running some preliminary tests, we're pretty sure this was a freak accident, if you will. The headache he had prior to entering the theater, plus a bit of stress and some dehydration created the perfect storm. We're running some blood tests just to make sure. As soon as we have those results, you are free to take him home."

"Well, that's good news!" Gavin said, grinning at Kurt. "Dad and AJ should be here any minute."

"Well, I'm going to go check to see if the blood work is back. I'll let you know as soon as I know something, one way or the other. Any questions I can answer?" Dr. Ammundson asked.

"I don't think so. Thank you, doctor. I appreciate your care and concern," Kurt said.

"The pleasure is mine. I still count your performance in West Side Story about, what, fifteen years ago, one of the best I've ever seen. It's been a delight treating you," Dr. Ammundson said.

"Thank you very much," Kurt said, shaking the doctor's hand. After the doctor left the room, Gavin looked at Kurt and they both started laughing.

"What happened? I was reading my English novel in your dressing room and suddenly Jimmy was yelling for me to 'Get your ass out on the stage!'" Gavin said, imitating Jimmy's deep voice.

"The last thing I remember is squinting towards the house because the lights were on, trying to see the director as we were conversing. My eyes did that weird telescoping thing, and that was that! I woke up here," Kurt said, touching his fingers to the bandage on his forehead.

"When I got to the stage, you were sprawled out on the floor. Moments later, the paramedics arrived and prepared you for transport. They looked at me and asked, 'You family?' I looked at Jimmy and he gave me a little nod, so I told them I was your son."

"Best move all day," Kurt said, smiling.

"Well, I'd like to say that was my first ambulance ride, but I've been the passenger-in-question for two others. I had to ride up front for your ambulance ride, but the paramedics were really good about telling me what was going on. They asked me all kinds of questions and I answered them, best I could," Gavin said.

Just then, the door to Kurt's room opened. Blaine and AJ rushed forward, showing Kurt with hugs and are-you-okays and we-were-worrieds. "Thanks to Gavin, everything is fine. The doc says I can head for home if the blood work comes back fine. I've been officially banished from performances for the next eight shows, so you boys are stuck with me at home."

"I'm just relieved it was nothing serious," Blaine said, kissing the bump on Kurt's head. As he pulled away, the door opened again.

"Dr. Ammundson, come meet the rest of my family!" Kurt said. After introductions and handshakes, the doctor delivered the good news.

"Everything appears normal. You are good to go home. I suggest you take some time off to rest up. Drink lots of water and keep your stress level down. Do you need a note to excuse you from your work?"

"Already banned," Kurt sighed.

"Good! You've got people looking out for you! Call me if you have any questions or if you experience any more fainting spells. Other than that, I think we're through." With that, Dr. Ammundson excused himself. Moments later, Renee entered the room with discharge papers and Kurt's clothes. Half an hour later, Kurt and Blaine were in the Range Rover; Gavin and AJ took Kurt's car.

As soon as they were on the freeway, AJ grabbed Gavin's hand and squeezed. "Thank you," he said, briefly looking at Gavin. "As sad as I was that you didn't go with us today, I'm glad you stayed behind and then went with Dad. I felt much better knowing you were with him."

Gavin sighed and looked at the ceiling of the car. "Who knew this would be such an eventful day! Hey," he said, turning to AJ, "I'm sorry about this morning. I was feeling totally insecure and in the way. I didn't want to take anything away from your time with your dads. Kurt gave me a good talking-to on the way into the city, and I think I see things pretty clearly now."

"Good!" AJ said, squeezing Gavin's hand again. "Like it or not, you are a part of the family."

"Well, I like it. Hey," Gavin said, "have you ever wondered how we're going to handle the whole last name thing after we get married? You've got two names. I've got one with an apostrophe. Using all three could be a mouthful and take about a million years to write out."

AJ laughed. "What brought this on?" he asked.

"The nurse called me Gavin Hummel-Anderson before she took me to Kurt's room. It took me by surprise…and I kinda liked it," Gavin said, blushing.

"Huh. Well, we have a couple of options and we've got some time to figure it out. Would you really give up your last name?" AJ asked.

"Yeah, I think I would. Would you?" Gavin asked.

"If it was important to you, in a second," AJ replied.

"Maybe, maybe we could come up with a totally new name. Something ultra-cool and edgy, like Danger. AJ Danger, Gavin Danger," Gavin said, laughing.

"I've said this before and I'm saying it again. YOU are a dork," AJ said, lifting Gavin's hand to kiss it.

"Ah, yes, but I'm your dork," Gavin said.

"And how lucky am I?" AJ asked.

**~oOo~**

The boys arrived home just a few minutes after Kurt and Blaine. Amid Kurt's protests, he was ensconced in the family room, charged with the task of choosing a movie for family movie night. Blaine was in the kitchen, popping popcorn in the microwave. AJ took drink orders from everyone and carried the glasses in on a tray. Gavin went to the laundry room for extra blankets and pillows. Soon, the lights were out, everyone was settled in with snacks and pillows.

"Have you seen this one," AJ asked Gavin.

"Well…"

"Let me guess, you've seen the beginning and the end, but you fell asleep…"

"Bingo!" Gavin said, starting to laugh.

"Shhhhh! The Peanut Gallery needs to be QUIET," Kurt hissed, causing everyone but Kurt to start giggling.

"Sorry!" three voices chorused, as Kurt voiced his disappointment at having to start the movie again to catch the first lines.

"If you miss the first lines, the rest doesn't make sense," Kurt explained.

"Annnnnnd, we've only seen this movie a dozen times?" Blaine countered.

"Hush, you. You are increasing my stress level. You wouldn't want me to faint again, would you?" Kurt asked, smiling at Blaine.

"Not at all, baby, not at all," Blaine said, kissing his husband.

"Hello! Children in the house!" AJ protested. "Please, keep the kissing to a minimum." Gavin giggled and stole a kiss from AJ.

"Hello! Parents in the house! Please keep the kissing to a minimum." Both Blaine and Kurt said together.

"Are you sure you want in this family?" AJ asked Gavin.

"Totally sure," Gavin replied, resting his head on AJ's shoulder.

**~oOo~**

**There you are! **

**Have a beautiful day tomorrow! And every day, for that matter!**

**GirlFromTheWest xxoo**


	14. Summer, Part Two: Southern California

**Hello dear ones! Part two of Gavin and AJ's Excellent Summer Adventure continues below. Part on was on the East Coast with Kurt and Blaine; now join the boys on the West Coast with the O'Keefe clan.**

**Enjoy! Glee=not mine.**

**~oOo~**

"Now!" Gavin shouted at AJ.

"Now?" AJ returned, hesitantly.

"Now or never!" Gavin laughed. While lying on his stomach, AJ braced his hands on either side of his chest and brought his feet up to a crouching position. From there he stood tentatively, gaining his balance as the wave he was about to ride crested. "You did it!" Gavin yelled. "Stay stead…" Gavin didn't finish his sentence because he wiped out, trying to make his boyfriend's first experience surfing the Pacific as successful as possible. While keeping an eye on AJ, Gavin's board twisted a bit, pitching him to the right. Moments later, he resurfaced, just in time to see AJ reach the shore, where he turned and realized he'd lost Gavin. A figure popped up from the water and immediately straddled a board. A wave of his arm let AJ know that Gavin was fine and would wait for another curl to ride to shore. The boys were reunited on the beach ten minutes later.

"You were amazing! I can't believe you've only ever surfed once before! You are a natural," Gavin said, clapping AJ on the back.

"Sorry to ditch you out there. What happened?" AJ asked.

"Well, I was just hanging out on my board, waiting for a perfect wave and instead, the most perfect, most gorgeous surfer I've ever seen went whizzing by me! I was so stunned by his beauty that I lost all control, lost my footing, and the rest is history."

AJ turned to his boyfriend, grinned, and said, "You are ridiculous. Really, what happened?"

"My board twisted and I got dumped," Gavin said. "You, however, were spectacular. If we had more time before dinner, I'd certainly take you out again." Looking at his watch, Gavin said, "As it is, we're probably going to be late. We'd best haul." They grabbed their gear and their boards and made their way back up to the O'Keefe's oceanfront home. When the boys hit the top stair of the beach stairs, they noticed Gavin's mom, Molly, bringing out plates and silverware.

AJ pulled ahead and said, "Let me help you with that!" as he took the stack of plates from Mrs. O'Keefe.

"AJ, you are such a polite boy. Someone else could learn about manners from you," she said, pointedly glancing in Gavin's direction.

"In Gavin's defense, my dads said told me that I could learn some manners from Gavin when we were in New York last month," AJ said. Gavin gave his mother a self-satisfied look.

"It's still no excuse, Mr. Gavin Tierney O'Keefe. Manners and home and …"

"…out in the world, I know Mom."

"Ooooh, you got your naughty name!" AJ whispered to Gavin.

"My what?"

"You know, your naughty name. First middle and last."

"You boys go get dried off. We'll eat in twenty minutes," Molly said. As both boys headed for the sliding door off the kitchen, Molly called out, "And by the way, Mary Beth just called and she'll be joining us for dinner."

Gavin stopped dead in his tracks. AJ bumped into him, causing both boys to stumble. "Oh shit. Oh no," Gavin said. He slowly turned to AJ and said, "AJ, I'm so sorry. I wish there had been more time to prepare you. Oh, man. This is not good." Gavin continued mumbling to himself as the boys made their way to the wing that contained the sleeping quarters. "Get changed and meet me in my room ASAP. We'll cram." Gavin said.

"Wait…we'll what?" AJ asked, thinking Gavin's reaction was a little strange and kind of funny.

"Seriously. If you value your life, you'll hurry up," Gavin said, leaving AJ at the guestroom door and continuing down the hall to his own room.

**~oOo~**

Not seven minutes later, AJ entered Gavin's room, just as he was pulling a polo shirt over his head. "Okay, explain. What's the big deal? Mary Beth is your older sister, right? The one who was going to join us for Christmas Eve dinner, but didn't?" AJ asked.

"The very one. You know in Harry Potter how Voldemort is referred to as 'He Who Must Not Be Named?' Well, that's our Mary Elizabeth. I have some words of warning for you and then I'm afraid you are on your own. Warning Number One: Mary Beth is always right. The only people who can tell her to take a flying leap are my mom and dad. The rest of us, not so much. Warning Number Two: since you are new AND dating me, she's going to test you, see what you are made of. As obnoxious as she is, she's also fiercely loyal when it comes to her family when someone from the outside is brought in. I watched her tear one of my older brother's girlfriends to shreds once, verbally, of course. This girl announced at dinner that feminism should go die in a hole and that women should stay home and cook and raise children. MB had a heyday with that one. All I can say is just keep your wits about you, avoid eye contact, stay away from controversy, and stay close to me." Gavin exhaled as he sat on the edge of his bed.

"Gav, thank you for the warning, but I'm sure everything will be just fine and I'll…" AJ was cut off.

"AJ, please, just listen to my warning. I…I…don't know any other way to explain this to you. Remember when you met my sister Mhyre at Christmas? And you commented that you thought she was sassy? Well take that sassy and multiply it by one-thousand and you have Mary Beth. My parents just shake their heads and wonder where she came from. Relatives from Ireland swear she is our Great Great Aunt Matilda, reborn. Ruled the family for decades and some say she still rules it from the great beyond. Just be careful tonight. Promise me," Gavin asked, earnestly.

"Okay, Gavin. I promise to be on my best Boy Scout behavior tonight, making no waves and smiling continuously. Satisfied?" AJ asked.

"Were you a Boy Scout?" Gavin asked.

"Uh, no way, They don't exactly approve of gay troop leaders, so coming from my family and all…" Again, AJ was cut off.

"Before we go out there, I want you to remember that I love you and that we will survive this, no matter what," Gavin said, hugging AJ and kissing him lightly.

"Gavin, AJ, dinner's ready," came 14 year old Mhyre's voice from the kitchen. "Quit your smooching and get your fannies down here."

"Did she…" AJ asked.

"No. She's just being a pain. Come on." Gavin lead AJ down the hall and down the stairs to join the O'Keefe family in the kitchen.

**~oOo~**

Six people stood around the kitchen, each talking to another or completing some dinner task. All discussion and movement stopped when AJ and Gavin entered the room. Over Christmas, AJ had met Gavin's younger siblings: Mhyre, Gavin's verbal sparring partner; Xander, a budding magician and family know-it-all; and Siobhan, age four and cute as a bug's ear. It was Siobhan who broke the silence, running to AJ and shouting, "AJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJay!" at the top of her lungs. She then jumped and lunged towards him, and AJ caught her expertly.

"Hi cute girl! How was your day?" AJ asked her.

"GREAT! I went swimming at the pool and I was a WHALE!" Siobhan threw her hands up in the air and everyone in the family threw their hands over their ears. For being such a small girl, Siobhan had a set of lungs on her. As her arms came down, they hooked together around AJ's neck and Gavin's little sister rested her head on AJ's shoulder.

"Well, I'm impressed," said a cool voice from the center of the kitchen. "Siobhan doesn't typically take to strangers so quickly.

"Mary Beth, stop that right now. AJ was here at Christmas, so Siobhan knows him already. You had different plans that day, remember?" Molly scolded.

"Of course, of course," said Mary Beth. "And since my little brother is being completely rude, let me introduce myself. I'm Mary Beth O'Keefe, older sister to Gavin, who I'm sure you already know?" a smile that could cut through concrete spread across Mary Beth's face.

AJ leveled her gaze, waited just a fraction of a moment and extended his hand and said, "Hello Mary Beth. It's is a pleasure to meet you. I was sorry you could not join us for dinner on Christmas break. I was looking forward to meeting you." AJ produced a smile that was a genuine as they come. Eye contact remained.

"Oooooh. Cute, charming, and he comes complete with prep school manners. I'm impressed," Mary Beth said.

"MB, knock it off," Gavin said, giving his sister the eye.

"I'm doing this for you, Gavvie. Nothing but the best for my favorite little brother."

"Hey, I thought I was your favorite little brother!" Xander exclaimed, breaking the tension a bit.

"Oh, sweetheart," Mary Beth said, running a hand over her youngest brother's head, "you are my favorite littlest brother! Come on, let's head outside and get good seats for dinner."

When the door between the kitchen and the deck closed, the family members inside gave a collective sigh. "Well played, AJ," Mhyre said.

"Boy, you handled her well," Patrick O'Keefe said, patting his son's boyfriend on the back.

"I'm not so sure what I did, but…thanks?" AJ said, looking baffled.

"Dude! You held you ground! You didn't let her intimidate you! Mind you, she's probably not done putting you through the ringer, but you made it through round one. Round two will probably consist of her bringing up a controversial topic and observing how you respond. Be ready," Gavin said, squeezing AJ's hand.

"Well, let's all head out for dinner, shall we?" Molly shooed everyone from the kitchen, bringing up with rear with the salad for the meal. AJ and Gavin sat next to each other and Siobhan tried to sit in AJ's lap. "Siobhan, dear, let AJ have his own chair. Why don't you sit next to him?" Molly said. Reluctantly, Siobhan move to the next chair over and the meal began.

**~oOo~**

"So, as you all know, the law firm has a matching funds program for gifts of philanthropy. Whatever I give to the cause of my choice, they'll match, dollar for dollar. My donation this year will be the biggest to date and I've decided that my money will go to the sponsors of Proposition 8, you know the one, right? That nice group of people who are working so hard to preserve the sanctity of marriages between men and women." Mary Beth stopped talking and looked coolly from face to face around the table.

Even sitting outside, next to the ocean, you could have heard a pin drop.

"Mary Elizabeth O'Keefe, you are out of line," Patrick said. "This stops right now. How dare you…"

"Oh, and now we're not allowed to have opinions? Is that it? I'm merely expressing what I believe to be true. Isn't that the basis of any dinnertime conversation. I'm sure everyone here at the table agrees with me, being we're from a good Irish Catholic family. That is…" Mary Beth paused and looked expectantly at AJ, "unless AJ here believes differently."

AJ lifted his napkin from his lap and wiped his mouth carefully. While he was shaking with anger on the inside, he knew that appearing to remain cool on the outside was of utmost importance. "Let me begin by making sure I have my facts straight, so to speak. Prop 8 is the movement, that if upheld, will deny marriage and the benefits of marriage to everyone except one man and one woman, correct?"

"You are," Mary Beth said. "Surely, you can agree that certain traditions in our culture create the foundations of our strong society. Mess with those and we mess with the very fiber of our being. Besides, what's next, people marrying pets…or buildings?"

"So, the people behind Prop 8 are preserving the sanctity of marriage. One man, one woman, right?" AJ asked.

"Correct. So glad to see you are on my side on this one," Mary Beth said, smiling sweetly at AJ.

"Not so fast. Let's put that sanctity of marriage idea up against the fact that over 50 percent of marriages in our country end in divorce. Let's consider people who get drunk, pull up to a chapel in Vegas, get hitched, and then decide the next morning that it was all a gigantic lark and they get their vows annulled. They seem to be entering their unions with sanctity of marriage on their minds, right?" AJ said.

"Well, of course there are always bad examples…" Mary Beth continued.

"Perhaps you missed the part about over 50 percent of marriages ending in divorce? How is there anything sacred in that? And back to your earlier idea about people marrying pets or…buildings, did you say? See, that will never fly because pets and people are not on equal footing. Pets don't have any say in their lives. People, however, do. Two adults, who love each other and want to be committed to each other, should not be denied the right to be married to each other. Legislating love is a slippery slope and personally, our country would be better off if lawmakers spend their time trying to solve poverty and homelessness than trying to dictate who marries whom."

"It doesn't stop there, you know," Mary Beth said, going in for the kill. "After marriage, there comes the idea of children. Children, raised by gay people? Those poor, poor children."

AJ continued on, cool under pressure, but feeling like he was about to explode. "You don't know me well, Mary Beth, so you may have missed that I'm being raised by two gay men. My dads are the best parents I've encountered. They take their vows seriously, and they take their responsibility to raise me to be a contributing member of society even more seriously. Do I appear to be "messed up" as you ascertain? Personally, I think I'm turning out just fine. I come from a happy home that is filled with love and support. That's a lot more than I can say for some of my friends, who come from homes with a mom and a dad."

A few moments of silence hung in the air. Mary Beth looked at AJ and smiled. "You pass," she said, a little less sharpness in her tone. AJ looked around the table and saw faces of relief.

Gavin rubbed his hand up and down AJ's back and whispered, "Good job."

**~oOo~**

The rest of the evening was spent playing old board games and telling family stories. AJ stopped counting how many times Gavin blushed in response to the stories his siblings and parents told. Siobhan fell asleep around 10:30. Molly and Patrick excused themselves to take her upstairs and put her to bed. Not long after that, Mhyre and Xander yawned and headed for bed too.

"AJ, walk me to my car, won't you?" Mary Beth asked. "I won't bite. Promise."

AJ stood and walked with Mary Beth to the front door and opened it for her. Stepping outside, she immediately turned to AJ and said, "Just so you know, I don't believe that garbage I was spewing in there. My little brother deserves to be happy and to marry whomever he chooses. I just had to see if you are good enough for him. If you repeat this I'll deny it, but Gavin is my favorite of all the siblings. I don't show it to him, but it is true. I know that a certain amount of his life will be a struggle because he's gay. I had to make sure you have the ability to stand up and hold your ground. You did so splendidly, by the way."

"I can see why you make a good lawyer," AJ said, laughing. "I did feel a bit on the spot and the whole time I'm thinking, 'This is going to turn out badly.' I'm glad you are looking out for Gavin. He's a strong person, but we all need lots of people on our side."

"Be that as it may, it is my duty as an older sister to let you know that if you break my little brother's heart, I will break you. Do you have any reason to doubt that?" Mary Beth asked.

"No ma'am. None at all. Don't worry. I'll be around as long as Gavin will have me," AJ said.

"Well, I'm not sure where you'll both end up in the future, but if the two of you are together, the world better just look out," Mary Beth said, pausing before opening her car door. "So no hard feelings AJ?" She stuck her hand out to AJ and he took it, pulling her into a hug.

"None. I'm glad I met you, Mary Beth O'Keefe."

"Good night AJ. I'm sure I'll see you before you head back to school."

"I sure hope so," AJ said. "We, uh, don't have to go through the fake confrontation thing every time we meet, do we?"

"Oh heavens, boy, no. Next time," Mary Beth paused and winked at her brother's boyfriend, " it's even more fun! Make sure you carb-load and get plenty of rest before my next visit. Good night!"

AJ laughed, but only half-heartedly. Mary Beth was just enough of a loose canon to be telling the truth. He waved to the car that was pulling out of the drive and headed back into the house to find Gavin.

**~oOo~**

It was after midnight and both boys were snuggled together on Gavin's bed, talking. Soon, tiredness overtook them and they began to doze off.

"Hey," AJ said, shaking Gavin lightly, "I'd better head to my room. Wouldn't want to break the rules and all.

"Hmmmmm. Stay. No one will know. I just want to sleep next to you," Gavin said through his state of near-sleep.

"I'd like nothing more, but I think we'd best play by the rules. It was pretty easy to sneak a night together at my dads' house because there were only two of them. There are too many people in this house who could easily find us," AJ said.

"Right you are!" Gavin chuckled. "Besides, I think Siobhan has AJ-dar. She hones in and finds you, no matter where you are, within seconds! I'm not sure how I'm feeling about being displaced."

AJ leaned over and kissed Gavin soundly, bringing his hand up to Gavin's jaw. After they broke apart, AJ whispered, "You'll never be displaced, my love. Or replaced, for that matter. You are stuck with me forever."

"Love you AJ."

"Love you too, Gavin. See you in the morning?"

"Most definitely."

**~oOo~**

**Love these boys! I hope you do too. Until next time!**

**GirlFromTheWest xxoo**


	15. A Grand Surprise

**Hello Lovelies! A little Gavin and AJ chapter for you tonight…or tomorrow, depending where in the world you reside. I hope you enjoy! And just think, two more days until new Gleeeeeeee! Which reminds me, don't own it: never have, never will. Enjoy!**

**~oOo~**

Gavin looked up from his political science textbook and stared at AJ. "One month," he whispered, just loud enough to distract AJ.

AJ looked up from his laptop, a grin covering his face. "I know, baby."

"One month and we are done with high school! Can you believe it? Thirty more days and we'll…" Gavin was cut off by AJ.

"Gav, you know I love you more than anything, but if you interrupt me one more time, I might not pass my lit final. Thirty more minutes and then I'm all yours, okay?"

"Promise?" Gavin asked.

"Promise," AJ replied going back to his laptop.

Thirty seconds later, "AJ…oops. I forgot. Sorry!" Gavin blushed and returned to his text.

"Love you Gavvie," AJ whispered, not looking up from his computer.

**~oOo~**

True to his word, all of AJ's attention was on his boyfriend thirty minutes later. They sat, curled around each other, on Gavin's bed in his dorm room. Both were tired from the studying they'd done and from the stress that built, as finals approached. The seniors at Dalton took their finals earlier than most high schools so that they could participate in Auxiliary Program in their final three weeks. Classes during AP centered on preparing for the transition between high school and college: how to schedule time, how to balance fun and work, healthy stress management, and navigating the social aspects of university. All of the seniors in Gavin and AJ's class were college bound, so everyone felt the benefit of the knowledge passed along to them. Besides seminars, AP week allowed the boys lots of good old fashioned free time to enjoy hanging around each other before the classmates were scattered to the four corners of the world. There were soccer games, movie nights, field trips, meals out, skit nights, plenty of snacks, and an overnight trip that was kept a secret until the last possible moment. Dress code was relaxed for the seniors during their last three weeks, so seeing boys on campus clad in shorts and flip flops was not unusual. AP was something Dalton boys anxiously anticipated beginning the spring of their freshman year , especially when the younger boys looked out the windows of their classrooms, while the upper classmen threw Frisbees around and had BBQ lunches on the front lawn.

"A week from now and finals will be over. Tuesday is my worst; I have three that day. What about you?" AJ asked, running a hand through Gavin's blonde hair.

"Wednesday is my worst, but I've only got two. One on all the other days, except Thursday, where, wonder of wonders, I have zero finals. Still not sure how that happened."

"Don't ask questions!" AJ laughed. "Just thank the Testing Gods for a sweet reprieve. Seems weird, doesn't it, that in a few weeks, we'll not be here anymore. I always thought I'd be rejoicing, getting ready to graduate from this place, but I'm not so sure I feel that way," AJ said.

Gavin was quiet for a few minutes. He sat up a bit in order to look AJ in the face and said, "I'll be forever thankful for my grandpa suggesting that I spend my last two years of high school here. Dalton will always be a sacred place to me because it is where we found us, and I can't imagine my life without you, August Hummel-Anderson." AJ looked at Gavin adoringly and pulled him into a tight hug.

"You make my heart flutter, O'Keefe," AJ said, smiling into Gavin's shoulder.

"You make my…" Gavin started

"Stop it," AJ said.

"But…"

"Stop."

" 'Kay." Gavin stopped talking, but grinned. He'd made AJ blush, which wasn't always an easy task to accomplish.

"So," Gavin said, changing the subject, "what's with the big dinner with the Grands?" AJ and Gavin received a mysterious invitation to dinner with Carol and Burt the Friday night after the last finals. They were invited to stay the weekend, which they accepted heartily. AP didn't start until that Monday, so leaving for Dalton on Sunday after dinner gave them plenty of time to get back.

"Dunno. Something's going on, though. I can tell when Grandpa is keeping a secret. His voice is a little different. Who knows? It will be nice to have a few nights away, though. Each time I talk to Grandma, she gets a little weepy about 'her boys' not being around much longer," AJ said.

"Man, she makes it sound like we'll be dead!" Gavin said.

"Well, she knows that when we're in school in New York, we won't be dropping in for dinner or to see them on a Saturday afternoon. And she talks about missing you more than missing me, so I guess I see where I stand," AJ said, laughing.

"I'll miss having them so close by," Gavin said, a little sadness in his voice. "They've been so good to me, making me feel like I'm part of the family."

"Dude, you ARE part of the family. Don't ever doubt that. Besides, we'll still see them on holidays, unless we're with your family."

"Okay, back to the topic at hand," Gavin said. "What do you think is going on?"

"Well, my guess is that it involves my dads, but that's as far as I can venture. Who knows with those two? I'm hungry. Wanna go get snacks?" AJ asked.

"Sure. I'll drive," Gavin said, holding out his hand for AJ's car keys.

"Hey, where are your keys? Use your own, bub," AJ teased. "Wait, wait, don't tell me: you've lost them. Again."

"Lost is a very strong word. I'm thinking more like 'misplaced' right now…" Gavin said, snatching the only known set of keys to AJ's car from his boyfriend's hand. "Last one to the car…" he trailed off, sprinting out the door of his room. Both boys ran through the halls and out the front door. They sprinted to the Mustang, with AJ on Gavin's heels the entire way.

"Winner!" Gavin proclaimed himself, as he touched the hood of the car. His dance of the champion was interrupted when AJ grabbed him around the waist, spun him around, and kissed him soundly.

"First prize," AJ whispered into Gavin's lips.

**~oOo~**

The ride to Lima was comfortably silent. Both boys were exhausted from a full week to testing. When they weren't taking an exam they were studying, eating, or sleeping. Finals were no laughing matter at Dalton, and thank heaven they were over…for good!

"Tired?" AJ asked Gavin, as soon as they got on the highway.

"Beyond. You?" Gavin returned.

"Absolutely. Relieved, though, right? Finals are done until we meet up with the hell called college finals in the winter."

"I'm not going to think about that right now," Gavin said, grinning at AJ. "For now, I want to look forward to this weekend, finding out what the heck is going on with your family, and AP. Is it wrong that I'm giddy about wearing shorts on campus, during the week?"

"I've been looking forward to AP since I was a freshman. Remember last year, when the entire class went to Cincinnati for three days? Museums, shows, dinners out. I wonder what is planned for us?" AJ asked.

"I heard rumors from Michael and Jacob, but we know how much stock to put into that!" Gavin said, laughing. "Speaking of your awkward siblings…"

"Not claiming them," AJ said.

"Too late. You lived with them for four years, they earned their siblingship."

"So what did they say about the secret trip?" AJ asked.

"Something about crocodile hunting in the Everglades of Florida…"

"How do they come up with stuff like that?" AJ snorted, unable to stop laughing at his roommates' ridiculousness.

"Dropped on their heads as babies? Infected by alien zombie germs in preschool? Who knows," Gavin laughed.

Conversation went quiet again, as the two boys passed the sign for Lima. "Yay! We're here," AJ said quietly. He reached over and squeezed Gavin's hand.

**~oOo~**

"Oh, boys, you look exhausted. Come in, come in," Carol Hummel said as she kissed and hugged the boys and ushered them into the dining room. "Dinner is on in ten minutes. Look at you two. I'd know that Dalton finals week exhaustion look anywhere."

"Look familiar?" AJ asked, hugging his grandma once again.

"I swear, Kurt and Blaine would drive here right after their finals junior and senior year and go right to bed. They'd sleep the entire weekend, they were so worn out. And hey, you have AP this year. Are you excited?"

'Totally," Gavin said. "Dinner smells delicious, Grandma."

Carol smiled, in love with this boy for calling her grandma. "It's your favorite, Gavin. Taco salads and nachos!" Gavin pretended to faint; Carol just laughed.

"After dinner we have a surprise for you! Did you bring a laptop like Grandpa asked?"

"We did. Hey, what's going on, Grandma? We've been trying to figure it out for weeks now. Does this involve my dads?" AJ asked.

"You'll have to wait until 8pm. Be patient and no more questions!" Carol said. "Now, into the kitchen to help me get dinner on the table. Grandpa is due home in five minutes."

**~oOo~**

Burt poked his head into the living room, where he found his grandson and his boyfriend sitting on the couch, watching reruns. "Five minutes, boys, and I need you in the den. Not a second earlier, got it?"

"Grandpa, what's going…?" 

"Nuh-uh. No questions. See you in five." With that Burt disappeared down the hall.

"These five minutes are dragging into hours!" Gavin complained.

"Come on. Let's start walking down the hall. There's just one minute left," AJ said as he stood from the couch and offered a hand to Gavin.

Just as the boys arrived at the door to Burt's den, it opened. On the desk on the far wall were two laptops: Burt's and AJ's. Both were open just a few inches. "AJ, Gavin, please, have a seat," Burt said, motioning that the boys should sit in the chairs set up before the computers. Carol sat off to the side in a leather office chair. Burt stood front and center.

"Boys, we have some very special people who would like to talk to you tonight." Burt turned to his right and fully opened the laptop's lid. Up came Kurt and Blaine on Skype.

"AJ! Gavin! Hi boys! How are you?' Blaine asked.

"We miss you!" Kurt said. "How were finals?"

"Wretched, but we lived," Gavin said. "It sure is good seeing you!"

"I hate to break up this little love-fest, but there are a few more people who'd like to see you," Burt said, lifting the lid to the second laptop. Up popped Patrick and Molly O'Keefe, Gavin's parents.

"Mom! Dad! Hi!" Gavin shouted, waving frantically at the screen.

"Hello son!" Patrick said. "AJ! We've missed you! How are you, boy?"

"I'm fine, sir…I mean, Pat"

Molly laughed. "We're never going to break you of your good manners, are we AJ?" AJ smiled and blushed a bit.

Burt turned the screens so that all parties could see each other. "So, boys, I know you've been wondering what is going on here. Your parents have a surprise for you." Looking at the computers, Burt said, "Who is going to do the honors?"

Molly piped up with, "I believe I drew the short straw," Molly joked. "Okay. AJ, Gavin, all four of us and been in cahoots behind your backs for some time now, making plans for your graduation gift."

AJ and Gavin looked at each other when they realized they were getting a "gift" singular, not "gifts" plural.

Molly continued. "We decided that the best way for you to celebrate your graduation from Dalton is to spend a month in Europe, so that's what we've decided to give to you. Happy graduation!"

Kurt was next. "We've bought you plane tickets for the Wednesday a week after graduation. We've made no other plans, other than for you to fly home four weeks later."

"And," Blaine picked up, "since we want this trip to be memorable for you, we've pool enough cash for you do travel well. We'll leave all the planning to you, but we really want you to have an amazing time."

"My only request," Patrick said, "is that you spend some time in Ireland, checking up on the older relatives. You'll save me a trip over in the late summer if you'll spend some time with Great Aunt Tess and Uncle Rory."

The boys sat in silence, stunned at what had been placed before them.

"Well?" all four parents said in unison, and then laughed.

"Wah…we…oh…wah…" AJ stumbled.

"I think what AJ is trying to say," Gavin said, "is thank you. Very much. This is more than we could ever ask for. We think all four of you are amazing. Thanks for trusting us to travel on our own. That means a lot to us."

"We love you, boys. We can't think of anyone who deserves this more!" Molly said. "Siobhan is calling me for a snack, so we'd best sign off. We'll see you both in a few weeks for graduation!"

"We love you too," AJ managed. "Thank you so much for this unbelievable gift."

"Good night, boys. Good night, Blaine and Kurt. Nice to finally 'meet' you Burt and Carol. We'll see you at graduation?" Pat asked.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world!" Carol said. Pat and Molly O'Keefe waved and then the screen went blank.

"We'd best go too. Early morning tomorrow. Gav, AJ, have fun at AP. A little birdie named Headmaster David told me where you're going for your overnight trip. You're going to love it!" Kurt teased.

"Dad! Please! Tell us where we're going!" AJ pleaded.

"And ruin a perfectly good surprise? You really don't know me well at all, do you AJ?" Kurt teased.

"Dad, Mom, I'll email our flight info to you in the morning," Blaine said to Burt and Carol. "If it's still okay, we'll be there the weekend before graduation."

"Of course it's fine, Blaine. Can't wait to have you here and to spoil you to death. You're looking a little thin. Are you eating?" Carol asked with genuine concern in her voice.

"He's fine, Mom. Don't worry!" Kurt said. "Good night boys, goodnight Mom and Dad. See you in a few weeks!"

"Goodnight!" all four people at the Hummel's said, waving until the screen went dark.

**~oOo~**

"More ice cream?" Carol asked the boys.

"Sure!" Burt said, holding out his bowl.

"Not you," Carol said. "You know the rules."

"I was hoping you'd forget them," Burt mumbled.

None for me," AJ responded. Gavin nodded in agreement. "I think I'll head to bed. Gav?"

"Yeah. This has been quite a day! Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa, for having me over. And for setting up that chat with our parents. I can't believe we get to go to Europe!" Both boys got up and headed towards the stairs.

"Good night," they said in unison, as they hit the first stair.

"Sleep well, boys," Carol said. At that moment, AJ turned and looked at AJ with big eyes. Usually, this was when Burt chimed in with something like, "Finn's room is all ready for you Gavin" just to remind the boys that they were to spend the night in separate rooms. Tonight, nothing.

Gavin's grin was cut short as Burt's voice echoed through the house. "If you boys are sharing a room tonight, the door stays open!" After that, they boys heard Burt say to Carol, "I never thought I'd utter those words in this house again!" Carol broke out in a fit of giggles. AJ rolled his eyes and both boys ran up the stairs, to Kurt's old room.

**~oOo~**

Thirty minutes later, both boys were in their pajamas and were wrapped around each other in the center of the bed. Soft, quiet kisses led to a hug that drained the last of their energy from them.

"We're going to Europe!" Gavin sang.

"It doesn't seem real, does it?" AJ asked. "Suddenly, I feel really grown up."

"We are going to have a blast. I can't wait to show you Ireland! We should start planning right away…" Gavin started.

"Whoa, there. Sleep first, then plan. We have a few weeks to get everything worked out." AJ said.

"I know," Gavin said, "but it's not just the trip that makes me excited. It's that I get to travel with you! This is like, the first step into our adult lives, and we get to spend it together!"

AJ was quiet for a few moments. "I'm glad it's you."

"What do you mean?" Gavin asked.

"I'm glad it was you that found me locked out of my dorm room. You who tried out for soccer with me. You who falls asleep during movies. You who has a scary amount of knowledge about plumbing, you who can't stand take off when we fly, you who holds my hand and keeps me sane. I'm just glad that it's you, with me, for the rest of our lives. That's all." AJ pulled Gavin closer.

"I love you AJ. That doesn't feel like enough, but it really says what I feel. I look into our future and it's all so clear to me: college, getting married, having careers, children, vacations. Every time I picture my future, you are right there with me."

"I love you too, Gavvie. To the moon and back."

"I've always wanted to go to the moon. I wonder if…"

"Good night Gavin."

"Night, love."

"Oh geeze. Here we go again," Burt said, after hearing AJ and Gavin's conversation while standing outside their door. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but once he started he couldn't stop. These two were just as smitten as Kurt and Blaine were all those years ago. Burt grinned to himself, heading down the hall to tell Carol what he'd overheard. He knew she'd be thrilled, no doubt.

**~oOo~**

**As I was proofing this, I overheard the television in the sitting room (the teenagers in this house watch WAY too much television). The preview for Glee came on and Blaine was singing a snippet of Gotye's Somebody That I Used to Know! Coincidence? I think not…Good timing? Yes!**

**I'm thinking there is a prom chapter and a graduation chapter before this series is done. No promises on how long it will take to update, 'kay? Sorry. It's just how life works right now.**

**I hope spring has sprung in your neck of the woods! It sure has here!**

**GirlFromTheWest xxoo**

"

"


	16. Winding Down to Begin

**Well, well, well, look who decided to show up after…how long? The crazy in life is beginning to subside again, so here I am. The boys have been on my mind quite a bit, so this story tumbled out. Hope you enjoy.**

**Anything you recognize from Glee is not mine; anything you don't, is! **

**~oOo~**

"So, you'll go with me?" Gavin asked AJ.

"Wha— do you mean to Formal Ball? Of course! I just assumed we'd go together," AJ replied, taking Gavin's hand. The pair had just returned from their senior trip, which happened to be to Chicago this year, where they wandered around the Art Institute, watched a White Sox game, shopped downtown, and watched a stage production of Hairspray.

"Okay. Just checking," Gavin said, tentatively.

AJ paused from unpacking and looked at his boyfriend, who sat at AJ's desk chair. "Hey," he said, "what's going on with you?"

"I…it's just…everything is about to shift. Life, as we've known it together, is about to change, and it just makes me feel a little off, a little unsettled," Gavin said, standing up to hug AJ.

"You are right," AJ said into Gavin's blonde hair, "_things_ are about to change, but _we_ are not. Think about it: we have so many adventures ahead of us, and Formal Ball is just one of them! We have graduation, our trip to Europe, moving to New York, college, medical school…"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Gavin said, grinning and looking AJ in the face. "Thank you for centering me. Change isn't always easy, even the good kind of change."

"True, but ours has a point of stability: us. So lighten up, O'Keefe. We're supposed to be having the time of our lives!" AJ kissed Gavin's forehead and looked him in the eye. "Better?"

"Better," Gavin replied. "I'm going to head to my room and finish unpacking and call home. I promised I would check in once we returned from Chicago. I heard that Owen 'borrowed' the projector from the science department again, so they are showing movies on the cement wall behind the gym. Wanna be my date?"

"Hasn't Owen learned his lesson from his 'borrowing' incidents? He knows he's going to get busted like always, right?" AJ asked with a laugh. "I'll meet you back here in half an hour?"

"Perfect. Bring a blanket. And snacks. I know you have some stashed in the bottom drawer of your closet."

"Snoop!" AJ exclaimed.

"But I'm your snoop," Gavin quipped as he dashed out the door, barely missing a pair of socks chucked in his direction.

**~oOo~**

"So, are you and Gav going to Formal Ball?" Kurt asked AJ during a phone call a few days later.

"Yup. We're going to the tux shop for fittings on Monday of next week."

"I'll put some money in your account to cover costs," Kurt said.

"It's okay, Dad, I've got it covered. Don't bother."

"AJ, I swear, you are the weirdest teenager ever. Turning down money from your dear old dad? Are you feeling okay?" Kurt teased.

AJ laughed. "I'm fine, Dad. Hey, did you have a chance to order our plane tickets home?"

"I did. We'll fly out the day after graduation to make it home for your party. We're having it catered because our timetable is so tight. Gavin still feeling okay about spending the time with us rather than his folks?" Kurt asked.

"Totally. It makes sense for him to fly to New York, anyways. It would be an awful lot of air time to fly to California and then fly to the East Coast to catch another plane to London."

"True. Well, son, I need to head out to the board meeting for the library. We'll talk soon?"

"Yup. Love you Daddy."

"Love you too, August." At that moment, Gavin entered AJ's room.

"Hi Kurt! Gavin called out.

"Tell him hi…never mind, let me talk to him," Kurt told AJ. AJ handed the phone to Gavin.

"Hi Kurt! How are you?"

"Great! AJ told me that you two are going for tux fittings next week. Word of advice. The cut of the tuxes from Ralph Lauren's spring line will fit AJ's body type perfectly. Try to steer him in that direction, okay? And keep him away from those ridiculous pastels. Dark colors, Gavin. Black, charcoal, navy, even deep burgundy are all fine"

Gavin grinned into the phone. "Sure, no problem. And what about me?" he asked.

"Well, not pastels for you either! And I'm thinking…Marc Jacobs' line for you. There's a great classic jacket with thin lapels. Ask for it."

"Okay, Dad," Gavin said. "No problem.

"And don't tell AJ about our little conversation…"

"I get it. No worries." Gavin looked at AJ, whose raised eyebrows indicated that he knew something was transpiring between his dad and his boyfriend. "Bye, Kurt."

"Bye AJ. Love you."

"Love you too." With that, Gavin hung up.

AJ waited just a moment, looking Gavin in the eyes. Gavin leveled his stare, daring AJ to ask, while personally resolving to not give an answer. "Let me guess. My dad was telling you which tux you should convince me to rent. Am I right?" AJ did not let his stare waver.

Gavin tried his best, but he broke eye contact and laughed out loud. "My god, I swear you can read not only your dad's mind, but mine as well! Yes, he's thinking you'll look best in Ralph Lauren's spring line, but no pastels for you. Seriously, pastel tuxes? Who would subject themselves to that?"

"Grandpa Burt, that's who!" AJ replied. "He has a prom picture with my dad's mom and he's wearing a powder blue tux. He says it was all the rage in the early '80's, but I can't imagine that ever being true. He wore a big floppy blue velvet bowtie too. Just…ewe. So, tux by Ralph. What about for you?"

"He said Marc Jacobs for me. And of course, no pastels."

"Why couldn't he just tell me which tux I should rent? I don't know why he feels like he has to go through you sometimes," AJ said.

"Come on! You know that sometimes, you do the opposite of what he suggests, just as a matter of principle!" Gavin exclaimed.

"I do not…okay, I do. Keeps the dads on their toes, which is a healthy thing, don't you think?" AJ asked.

"Certainly. I subscribe to that same theory with my mom and dad," Gavin said, grinning. "Come on, we'd best head to the Outdoor-Movie-With-Stolen-Equipment Extravaganza before all the good seats are sold out or the science teachers realize the projector has gone missing again."

"Grabbing a blanket. Right behind you!" AJ said, as both boys made their ways to the courtyard behind the gym."

**~oOo~**

The boys held hands as they casually made their way back to the senior dorm. Since classes were done and the oldest boys were in the throes of Auxiliary Program, curfew was relaxed and everyone in the senior class was allowed to sleep in a bit before beginning the day's activities. They entered AJ's room to find a note from Michael and Jacob.

_Our Dearest AJ (and Gavin too. We know you are there. Duh),_

_We'll be spending the night in our sleeping bags on the roof of the gym, along with the guys from 210, 222, and 228. Mums the word; we'll be shot at dawn if Uncle Headmaster finds out. Join us if you'd like to, but we're guessing you won't (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). Sleep well boys and we'll see you at breakfast._

_Michael and Jacob xxoo_

_PS Do us a favor and check the grounds around the gym when you wake up. If one of us rolls off the roof, do your best to hide the body. We really don't want to get in trouble this close to graduation. ~ M & J_

Gavin snorted and AJ just shook his head. "Idiots!" they said in unison.

"But idiots who will be out of the room all night. Wanna sleep over?" AJ asked.

"I thought you'd never ask!" Gavin said. "I'll grab my stuff."

"Borrow from me," AJ said. "I don't want you to leave." He pulled a pair of Dalton issue sweats and a t-shirt from a drawer. After changing and brushing teeth ("Come on Gavin, think about it. I kiss you all the time. How is that any different than sharing a toothbrush?"), the boys crawled into AJ's bed, arms and legs tangled. They were quiet for a moment, looking into each other's eyes. "God, you are beautiful," AJ said before leaning in to kiss Gavin. Gavin responded by pulling AJ even closer. In moments, they shifted and Gavin was on top of AJ, and the kiss intensified. Hips shifted and the boys entered territory they'd never allowed themselves to explore. A slight shift from Gavin caused AJ to moan and then end the kiss.

"Gav, I love you, but we have to stop. Paris, remember?"

Gavin looked at AJ, disappointed, but accepting. "I know, you are right. We don't want our first time to be in the bunk of some smelly dorm room. Paris it is," he said as he rolled to AJ's right side.

"I beg your pardon," AJ said, "but it doesn't smell in here!" His joking was meant to lighten things, but was met with silence. "Hey, Gavvie, I love you, but we want this to be special, right? We talked about this…" 

"Totally," Gavin said. "Heat of the moment. Must be what they warned us about in health class, right? It's like your brain stops functioning and all logic flies out the window!" AJ reached over and pulled his boyfriend close.

"You know, sometimes I look at you and I have to remind myself that you are mine. I'm sure I'm in a dream and that any moment, I'm going to wake up to Jacob's snoring and Michael's ridiculous fighting zombies in his sleep. Then I start to wonder how I got so lucky. I can't wait to spend my life with you. You, Gavin Teirney O'Keefe, are the love of my life and I hope you'll feel the same way I do, forever." AJ looked at Gavin and realized that tears were welling in his eyes and beginning to fall down his cheeks. He reached up gently with his thumb and wiped the tears away. "You okay, sweetheart?"

Gavin sniffled and began. "Do you ever feel so much love that you think your heart is going to burst? Like, it's not possible to have so many feelings at one time. I go from being deliriously happy to humbled to crazy in love in a matter of seconds. Then I throw in the whole 'we're so young, how can this be happening so soon?' panic, which is always calmed by the undeniable assurance that this, what we have, is meant to be. It's like before there was us, we were walking our own paths. Our paths joined, and our walks continue, but the walk is ours now, not yours or mine. I'm pretty sure I sound like a lunatic. Shutting up now." Gavin flopped his head back down on AJ's pillow and started to laugh.

"I know exactly what you mean and I could not have said it better," AJ said, leaning over to give Gavin a peck. "It all seems crazy but in the most normal way, right?"

"Right. Wow, suddenly I'm exhausted. That's what three John Hughs movies, a box of gummi bears, and an emotional rollercoaster ride will do to you! Time to sleep?" Gavin asked?

"Yes. And this is the best kind of sleep because you are right here. Can you believe we'll be able to sleep this way forever, beginning in just a few weeks?" AJ asked.

"Mmmmm, can't wait," Gavin mumbled as his eyes fluttered closed.

**~oOo~**

"Ha!" AJ shouted through the bathroom door to Gavin, who had just turned off the shower.

The door opened and Gavin exited, wrapped in a towel. "What?"

"Leave it to Daddy K. Here's what his email for this morning says: 'After our talk yesterday, I decided to just order tuxes for you and Gavin. I know your size and looked at a dress shirt Gav left here last summer and made a good guess at his. You should get a package from Nordstrom in about three days. If there isn't a decent tailor in Westerville (there used to be one on State Street. If he's still here, he'll remember me. Tell him who you are), there's a good one in Lima on Garden Drive. Take the tuxes and get them custom fitted. I've said this a million times, but a fitting makes all the difference.

Your dad and I decided that all young men should have a tux hanging in his their closets. Besides, who knows when one will find himself in need of formal wear to attend something like, oh, I don't know, the Tony Awards? Love to both of you! ~Dad.' He really doesn't trust us to dress ourselves!" AJ said, a bit exasperated.

"Come on, AJ, take it for what it is: a sweet gesture from your dads. Besides, Tony Awards? Is he hinting at something? I love that your dads are famous. We get to do the coolest stuff," Gavin said.

"The Tony Awards already took place for this year, but who knows what he has cooking for next season. We'll see. Hey, you'd best get dressed because I think we are supposed to go on body patrol on the grounds around the gym before breakfast. Really, what do Michael and Jacob think we'll do if there is a dead body? Cart it off to the woods? Dig a shallow grave. They are crazier than crazy."

"We could really throw them off and go to breakfast with work gloves and a shovel. I'll say, 'Well, I'm glad we got that over with' and you nod your head in agreement and say something about hoping we hid the evidence well enough and that digging graves is a lot more difficult than you'd think. That will shock them. I'll bet you five bucks they'll look at each other, then look at the boys seated around the table, and start counting heads, to see if somebody really did roll off the roof in the night!"

"I like the way you think, O'Keefe," AJ said, smiling and nodding his head.

"I'd like to think there are other things you like about me too," Gavin could flirt with the best of them.

"Oh, trust me, there are. Now, let's go get the grounds crew to loan us a shovel and some gloves." With that, the boys were off to enjoy another of their remaining days, taunting AJ's roommates, at Dalton Academy.

**~oOo~**

**So, things got a little sweaty there for a few moments, but as always, the boys were smart and didn't let their emotions get the best of them. This story is winding down: I'm thinking a graduation chapter and a ending chapter that will coincide with the last chapter of Daddies, which you might want to read if you haven't done so yet. **

**Happy June to you all! Hope all is fair and happy in your lives!**

**GirlFromTheWest xxoo**


	17. Good Bye, Too Many Times

**Hi.**

**(ducks and covers)**

**Here's the final chapter for We Found Us.**

**Actually, it's been on my computer for a while; I just forgot to post it.**

**My memory was jolted when Youngest Child played in a soccer game today and an opposing player was named "August." **

**Oops.**

**Still don't own anything related to Glee. **

**Pretending that nasty break up a couple of weeks ago didn't occur .**

**(covers her ears and sings, "Lalalalalala.")**

**Enjoy, my lovelies.**

**~oOo~**

"Remember that parents' night before our first year? We were spying from the second floor landing and we almost got caught. I remember being soooooo worried about getting in trouble. That was nothing compared to what we did here at good old Dalton as we got older!" Michael said, taking another drink of his soda.

"Oh, shall we count up the number of questionable activities you've been involved in since our innocent espionage?" AJ asked. "Let's see, there was the time all the chairs in the dining room went missing…"

"Hey, that was a lot of work!" Jacob piped in. "And besides, the planning for that one took skill and finesse. Where would YOU hide 250 chairs on this campus and not draw suspicion?"

"I'm pretty sure I would not try to make them look like deck chairs around the pool," Gavin said. "Nothing strange or alarming about that!" All four boys laughed about how Michael and Jacob's prank had been busted before anyone got down to breakfast that morning, and how the custodians insisted that the boys return all chairs to their rightful places in the 45 minutes before the meal began.

"Yeah, that wasn't one of our better moments," Michael conceded. "Kind of weird to think that this is our last night at Dalton, huh?" Michael said what all the boys had been thinking, but didn't dare speak out loud. Tomorrow was graduation. After the reception, the boys would pack their things and head out for good. For four years, Michael, Jacob, and AJ had shared a room. When Gavin transferred junior year, he became part of their group and might as well have been there since freshman year. The room got quiet, as the boys looked at each other.

"Hey, look," Jacob said, "I'm not one for mushy stuff, but let's promise to work really hard at staying in each other's lives. We're going to be all over the country soon, and right now," he paused to wipe an uncustomary tear from his eye, "I don't know what I'm going to do when I wake up in the morning and you guys aren't around." All four boys stood up and wrapped their arms around each other in an emotional group hug.

"Okay," Gavin said, breaking away, "Let's figure this out now. We'll set meeting dates over the next year. We fly, we drive, whatever it takes, but we establish when we are getting together. The days are sacred: injury, death, and wedding dates are the only things that get in the way. Agreed?"

The other three boys nodded their heads. Out came the phones, opened to calendars. Dates were discussed, plans were batted around. ("I've heard there's a place where you can learn how to base jump, you know, jump off buildings or cliffs with parachutes…" was met with, "NO!" and "ILLEGAL!") The boys agreed that they'd meet the second weekend in December New York at Kurt and Blaine's house. This, of course, would be an easy trip for AJ and Gavin. Michael would have a bit of traveling to do, as he'd be in school at the University of Washington; Jacob's academic career was taking him to a private college South Carolina, where lacrosse was king. They sealed the deal with the ridiculous secret handshake they made up freshman year. Shortly after that, AJ walked Gavin to his room, a few minutes later, he returned to room 208 for his last sleep at Dalton.

**~oOo~**

Graduation went off without a hitch. The Hummel-Andersons, the Hudmels, and the O'Keefes sat together, sets of parents and grandparents proud of "their boys" as they each referred to Gavin and AJ. Because the classes at Dalton were small, the graduation ceremony allowed for more personal accounts of the graduates' lives while attending the school. AJ's soccer coach, science teacher, and the school nurse all gave emotional talks about the man AJ had become in his four years at Dalton. Gavin's literature teacher, soccer coach, and math teacher did the same for him. Tears flowed in the audience as each graduate was lauded for their contributions to life at Dalton and for the changes the young men would make in the future world. After a reception in the main hall, it was time to pack up and leave.

Knowing how crazy check out would get, Kurt had both AJ and Gavin pack their belongings a week earlier and ship them to New York. After their trip to Europe, both boys would attend NYU for pre-med, so Gavin's stuff would be stored at the Hummel-Anderson's until a plan for living arrangements was made. Gavin and AJ simply needed to pack a duffle with enough clothes to get them to New York.

"I hate to rush you, but we need to be back at Grandpa and Grandma's house by 4:00 to catch the airport shuttle," Blaine whispered into AJ's ear. AJ caught Gavin's eye, letting him know it was time to go. The boys told Blaine and Kurt they'd meet them on the front steps in fifteen minutes; AJ and Gavin made their ways back to the dorm to say goodbye.

AJ and Gavin walked into 208 just in time to hear, "…and that's why the first Star Wars movie will always be superior to…"

"Guys. Really?" Gavin asked.

"What?" Michael and Jacob said at the same time.

"You were having the same argument the day after I met you two years ago! Give it up, already!" Gavin responded.

"Seriously, at our meet-ups during the year, the Never-Ending-Star-Wars argument is banned, got it?" AJ ask, grinning. All of the boys laughed and then stopped.

"Well, I guess this is it." Everyone looked at Michael and then at each other. This was the last moment the boys would be all together, as Dalton students.

"I'm not saying goodbye," Jacob said. "I'm saying something old, like what my grandpa would say, like, 'So long' or 'Until we meet again'…wait, that last one sounds lame. Uh, I'm just…" and the tears began to flow. Hugs were all around. Promises were made to keep in touch. At last, AJ and Gavin pulled away.

"My dads are waiting for us, so we have to head out. I just want you boys to know that I love you and that my time at Dalton would not have been as hilarious and adventurous had it not been for you. I'm not saying goodbye either. So, until next time…"

AJ waved, pulled Gavin through the door, and stopped in the hall. For just a moment, their eyes connected over the sadness of leaving their friends, but then, from the depths of room 208 they heard, "So, as I was saying, there is no way to even compare the cinematography of the first movie to any other…"

AJ and Gavin rolled their eyes. "Let's get out of here," AJ whispered in Gavin's ear.

**~oOo~**

Instead of waiting on the front steps, the boys found Kurt and Blaine in the entry hall, talking to David. As they walked to the floor below, everything hit AJ at once. He stopped near Blaine, and broke down in tears.

"Son, what's wrong?" Blaine asked.

"This," AJ said through his tears as he motioned with his hands around the room. "This will never be again!" And with that, AJ rested his head on his dad's shoulder and cried his goodbye to Dalton. Because Blaine and Kurt and David had attended Dalton, they knew the emotions of the moment well. They also knew that their boy would be fine and that he'd carry Dalton around with him for the rest of his life.

When AJ felt better, they headed to the car and started their long ride to Lima, where they'd catch a shuttle to the airport. In the wee hours of the morning, they'd find themselves back in New York, back home.

**~oOo~**

The rest of the week was a whirlwind. After coming home, the Hummel-Andersons hosted a graduation party for AJ. Gavin met the people who'd played a part in AJ's childhood. Everyone, from coaches to music teachers, to childhood friends and their parents, showed up to wish AJ (and Gavin too!) well. It was an exhausting afternoon, but Gavin never left AJ's side. At one point, Kurt leaned over to Blaine and said, "Look at those two and their prep school manners. If nothing else, the tuition was worth that, don't you think?" Blaine grinned and nodded his head.

Knowing their time would be limited, Kurt and Blaine had hired a caterer for the party. This meant clean-up was minimal for the Hummel-Andersons, to after the last of the leftovers was stashed in the refrigerator, all four retired to the patio in the back yard.

"I'm exhausted, but what a great day!" Blaine enthused.

"AJ, you have a ton of people who adore you," Gavin said, as he rubbed AJ's back. "Honestly, I thought we'd never get to everyone."

"We did have a good turnout," Kurt noted. AJ grinned and nodded his head.

"It was great to see everyone. I'm so glad Spencer was able to stop by before heading off to boot camp. I can't imagine him in the Air Force, but you know, there was that slumber party where he tried to parachute off the end of the couch," AJ recalled.

"Oh, and you had no part in that, Mr. Man?" Blaine said. "You are probably the reason he enlisted!"

"Well, it's been a great day, but I'm ready for sleep. Join me?" Kurt asked, turning to Blaine.

"I thought you'd never ask!" Blaine said. Both of the boys rose and hugged Kurt and Blaine. "Hey," Blaine said, "tomorrow, let's sit down and talk about next year and get things figured out. You'd probably like everything nailed down before you leave for Europe, right?"

"Yeah, Dad. That would be great. Actually," AJ paused and picked up Gavin's hand, "we've been talking and I think we have a plan that will work our really well."

"Excellent. How about talking after dinner tomorrow night?" Blaine asked.

"Perfect," AJ said, hugging his dad one more time.

**~oOo~**

After a swim in the pool, Gavin and AJ headed upstairs to AJ's room. "Do you think your dads will go for us living here for college?" he asked.

"I'm guessing they'll love the idea. Daddy K is always complaining about how the house is too quiet when I'm away. And besides, living here will cut down on expenses. We're both going to be going to school for a long time, so any extra money that can go for tuition is a good thing," AJ said. He paused and looked at Gavin, who had a pensive look on his face. "What?" AJ asked.

"I…I don't know. I was just thinking about fate, and how all these pieces of a life have to fall into place to make things happen. If Michael and Jacob hadn't locked you out of your room that first day when I met you, we might now be here right now, you know?" Gavin wrapped his arms around AJ's neck and hugged him.

"Eh, don't give Michael and Jacob so much credit. I would have found you anyway," AJ said, grinning into Gavin's hair.

"Well, I'd like to think so, but still…" Gavin countered.

"What matters is that we are here right now, done with high school, preparing to take the trip of a lifetime, ready to take steps towards being grown up and in love. I know I'm in love. What about you?" AJ asked.

"Hmmm, let me think on that one…Ouch!" Gavin yelped as AJ pinched him. "Okay, okay. In love. Definitely in love. With you." Gavin moved towards his boyfriend and kissed him gently. "M'kay, I'm tired now too. I think it's time for bed." AJ agreed and within moments, the boys were crashed in the middle of AJ's bed.

"Night, love," AJ said.

"Night, AJ," Gavin said. "See you in the morning."

"Not if I see you first!"

"Har har. You are hysterical."

"I try!"

**~oOo~**

"I think that's a brilliant plan. How about this: we knock out the wall between the spare room and AJ's room and make an apartment…well, sort of an apartment. You'd have a study area, a sitting area, a bedroom and a bathroom. We could still have meals together, but you'd have all the space you'd need for yourselves." Blaine looked expectantly between AJ and Gavin and then to Kurt, whose face held a growing grin.

AJ and Gavin looked at each other and smiled. "Perfect," they both said at the same time and then laughed.

"That settles it," Kurt said. "I'll call a contractor and have them work while you are away. I can't imagine it will take long to take down a wall and do the finish work. When you get back from Europe, you'll have a place of your own!"

"Speaking of which," Blaine asked, "are you all packed and ready to go?"

"We are, except for our carry-on bags," Gavin said. "I'm not sure how I'm going to sleep tonight! I'm so excited!"

"Baby, you've been to Europe how many times before?" AJ asked.

"But never with you," Gavin responded, smiling in a sickly sweet way.

"Oh please," AJ said.

"I'm getting out of here before I get a cavity," Blaine said, laughing. "So, we leave at 6:30 tomorrow morning, right?"

"A little earlier, if you want to stop for coffee," Kurt added.

"Coffee stop is on!" Blaine said. "Good night boys. Try to get some rest."

"Night, Dads," both boys said.

**~oOo~**

When the boys' bags were checked, the four walked towards security. "Call us when you land in London and remember to check in with your old dads every once in a while," Kurt said, hugging Gavin first. "I'm jealous. This trip is going to be amazing!" he said as he hugged Gavin.

"We'll call, promise," Gavin said. "Dads, thanks so much for this trip. We're still a little blown away that we're heading to Europe! It doesn't seem real!"

"Love you, Dads," AJ said, as he hugged both his fathers. "Thanks…for everything." Tears welled up in Kurt's eyes as he hugged the boys again. "Aw, Daddy, we'll be back before you know it!"

"I know, I know. This is bigger than you taking a trip. This is you two, growing up. You'll come back from Europe and you won't need us anymore," Kurt said, wiping a tear away. Blaine put an arm around his shoulder and squeezed.

"Nonsense!" AJ exclaimed. "We'll always need you! You know that!" AJ hugged his dad and said, "We need to get through security if we're going to make or flight. Bye Dads! See you in a month!" AJ grabbed Gavin's hand and started walking towards the check in station.

"Say 'hi' to my cousin, the Queen of England," Kurt said, offering his official royal wave.

"Dad it's still the same: just because you THINK you are part of the Royal Family doesn't mean you are," AJ said, grinning over his shoulder. Blaine laughed and rolled his eyes.

"A boy can dream, can't he?" Kurt asked.

**~oOo~**

Back at the car, Kurt was quiet. "What's going on in that amazing brain of yours?" Blaine asked, reaching for Kurt's hand.

Kurt sighed. "It feels like all we ever do anymore is say 'goodbye' to AJ. It just gets me down sometimes."

"Well, you know how the old saying goes: "We have to say goodbye in order to say hello again,'" Blaine said.

Kurt was silent for a moment. "Are you always this corny? How have I missed this? After all these years…"

Blaine laughed and smiled smile that made his eyes crinkle. "Let's head for home, sweet-cheeks-muffin-snookie-candy-lips-pookie-bear-snuggle-rainbow-kissy-face!"

"Oh, god. Drive. Quietly," Kurt said, smiling at his husband.

**~oOo~**

**And there you have it! **

**Thanks for hanging in there with my random posting schedule.**

**There may be more stories in the future, so keep your peepers wide open!**

**Girl From The West xxoo**


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